Los Angeles Lakers Win Inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship
The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Cup and $500,000 for each player on their team by beating the Indiana Pacers 123–109 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. They are the first-ever In-Season Tournament champions of the NBA, as they remained undefeated throughout the tournament with a 7–0 record. LeBron James was named the In-Season Tournament MVP for his impressive performance, scoring 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 47.6% from the field. LeBron James averaged 26.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 7.6 APG, 56.8 FG%, and 60.1 3P% during the tournament. “We made history,” said James. “The first In-Season Tournament belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. That will never be topped. Ever.”
Anthony Davis, James’ teammate, scored 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and had five assists in the final game. Head coach Darvin Ham praised the duo for their excellent teamwork and called them “a hell of a one-two punch.” Davis also mentioned their partnership: “We’ve been doing it together for a long time, five years now, and we just figured it out. We know each other’s tendencies and what we like to do. Obviously, in crunch time, we get to our infamous pick-and-roll, and it’s tough to stop… We feed off one another. Thursday, LeBron had it going. Tonight, it was me, and he still did his thing.”
It’s essential to note that the Lakers’ victory in the NBA Cup did not affect their standing in the league. The game played on Saturday was not part of the league’s regular-season standings, and none of the stats from the game will count towards regular-season totals. However, this win marks a significant achievement for the Los Angeles Lakers as the first-ever In-Season Tournament champions. The NBA has achieved its goal of creating a new and exciting tournament, which has set itself up to be a permanent fixture on the NBA’s calendar in the future.
“I don’t think it’s even about the MVP; it’s about us coming together to win this thing,” LeBron James told ESPN’s Malika Andrews during the trophy ceremony. “This is the [inaugural] in-season tournament. … Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is to be the first to do something. And we’re the first champions of the in-season tournament, and nobody can ever top that, and it’s great to do it with a historical franchise and just a great cast of funny, engaged, competitive men over here.”
Congratulations, La Lakers!
By Shamarie Knight
