Adam Silver Says NBA Will Review Points Tiebreaker Rule for In-Season Tournament

Adam Silver said that there could be some tweaks coming to next year's NBA In-Season Tournament after reflecting on the league's inaugural event.

Ahead of the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night, the NBA commissioner addressed some of the changes that could be coming.

According to the Associated Press, Silver said one thing the league plans to evaluate is point differential being one of the tiebreakers for group play. This point differential rule meant that if teams had the same record after group play, the team that scored more points through the group stage would be the team to advance.

While the point differential aspect added an extra layer of excitement to the tournament, several players didn't like the idea of having to win by a certain amount to advance.

Silver said there are no definite plans of change yet, but he will evaluate how the model can be tweaked.

"I'm not ready necessarily to move away from it," Silver said. "But if ultimately there's going to be a sense particularly from our American fans that it's somehow an indication of poor sportsmanship, that's not a good idea for us to be doing it. And maybe there's some ways to tweak that."

The point differential rule became a factor in several games during group play. In the Boston Celtics' game against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 28, the Celtics resorted to fouling Bulls' center Andre Drummond, hoping for a few misses at the line to hold on to their lead late in the game.

"It's all about respecting the game and respecting your opponents," Boston forward Jayson Tatum said. "So, that part, I'm not a fan of."

While there are some aspects that could be changed in the second In-Season Tournament, there are other facets that will remain the same. Silver said that the flashy courts and the $500,000 cash incentives for were a hit around the league and with fans.

Silver had been pushing for a style of tournament that is common amongst many soccer leagues around the world, and the first NBA In-Season Tournament seemed to be a success. Silver said that the league will continue to learn, but he is happy with the results of the first event.

"I know it doesn't come without challenges," Silver said. "There's no doubt there's some things that we're learning this time through. Overall, we're thrilled with the interest we've seen so far this season."

The Lakers and Pacers are battling out to become the first NBA In-Season Tournament Champion on Saturday night. The Lakers got past the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinal game, while the Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the championship game.