Adam Silver came up with the NBA In-Season Tournament to grow the sport of basketball and help build a brighter future for the league. If the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship is any indication of what’s to come, basketball’s future is even brighter than its present.
A matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers felt fitting. While the Pacers aren’t one of the most popular teams in the NBA, it created a fun storyline of the Midwest vs Hollywood. Indiana’s incredible journey through the NBA In-Season Tournament will be one of the best stories from this season, but it was LeBron James and Anthony Davis who came out on top.
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Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the Lakers’ 123-109 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament championship victory.
Winner: Anthony Davis played like he’s back in the bubble
This is the Anthony Davis that Los Angeles Lakers fans watched in the bubble. During the Lakers’ 2020 championship run, Davis averaged 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. In the first half alone on Saturday night against Indiana, Davis dropped 17 points with 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and shot 61.5 percent from the field.
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The Lakers can compete for a championship when Davis is playing this aggressively. He repeatedly went after Pacers’ center Myles Turner, getting into his body and beating him with physicality. On the defensive end, Davis also did an excellent job. By the end of it, Davis finished with 41 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists.
Davis doesn’t have to replicate performances like this in the regular season, but the Lakers will need this in the playoffs. If he can do that, treating home and road games in the postseason like he’s in a neutral environment, the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals.
Loser: NBA officiating takes over the stage
The entire purpose of the tournament and the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship was to spotlight basketball and some of the best players in the game. This is an entertainment product created to provide excitement and joy for fans. Somehow, the officials on Saturday night determined this nationally-televised game was an opportunity to showcase themselves.
In the first half alone, the Pacers and Lakers were each charged with 14 fouls. For context, the NBA In-Season Tournament Semifinals averaged 38 fouls per game. The championship was already at 28 in two quarters, with Myles Turner, LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince and Rui Hachimura each being charged with three in the first half. By the time it was over, 58 fouls were called. We’re not asking for the in-season championship to be called like the NBA Finals, but it also shouldn’t be a whistle party.
Winner: Austin Reaves shines off Los Angeles Lakers bench
That’s why they paid Austin Reaves. Coming off the bench in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship, Reaves at times looked like the best player on the court. He was sensational in the first half, scoring 22 points while shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.
This certainly isn’t the norm for Reaves. He’s only scored 21-plus points once during the regular season this year and he scored 22-plus points seven times in 64 contests last season. The Arkansas native loves the bright lights of Las Vegas and knows how to put on a show for a massive audience.
Loser: Myles Turner loses on both ends of the court
A year ago, Turner was being floated in trade rumors with the Pacers evaluating their options. Ultimately, Indiana decided to keep Turner, signing him to a $60 million contract extension. While he’s rewarded the organization plenty of times for that commitment, including this season, the 6-foot-11 center came up short on Saturday night.
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It wouldn’t even be fair to call this a one-sided matchup, because that would indicate Turner did anything to stand out. Davis bullied Turner in the paint, delivering one of his best shooting nights of the season and eating up rebounds at an astonishing rate. Meanwhile, Turner had nearly as many combined fouls and turnovers (five) as points scored (seven) in three quarters. Turner is one of the biggest reasons Indiana lost.
Winner: Adam Silver cements his legacy with NBA In-Season Tournament
Are you not entertained? When the NBA first announced its plans for the in-season tournament, it received the same reaction from players, fans and analysts. Skeptical curiosity. Everyone knew the premise of the idea was to boost television ratings and make the NBA more revenue. Mission accomplished. However, the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament proved to be so much more for commissioner Adam Silver.
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The NBA experienced some of its highest television ratings in years for November and December because of the tournament and attendance increase for tournament games. More importantly, the players and fans bought in completely. Changes are coming for the 2024 In-Season Tournament, but Silver struck gold. The NBA needed something to get fans and players excited about the regular season, this did it. Now we await to see if the stakes are increased next season with a potential guaranteed playoff spot at stake.
NBA In-Season Tournament Championship stats
Here are the top stats from the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament Championship game for both teams.
Indiana Pacers
- Total Points: 109
- FG %: 36.8 percent
- Assists/Turnovers: 27-9
- Leading Scorer: 20, Tyrese Haliburton & Bennedict Mathurin
- Leading Rebounder: 7, Myles Turner
- Assists Leader: 11, Tyrese Haliburton
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Los Angeles Lakers
- Total Points: 123
- FG %: 53.4 percent
- Assists/Turnovers: 25-20
- Leading Scorer: 41, Anthony Davis
- Leading Rebounder: 20, Anthony Davis
- Assists Leader: 7, D’Angelo Russell
