NBA Summer League 2014: Known Teams, Tournament Bracket and TV Schedule
Over the course of an 11-day event, an NBA champion will be crowned in Las Vegas.
Well, a champion of the Samsung NBA Summer League, where 23 teams will partake in summer contests that parlay into an elimination tournament before crowning a champ.
The more relaxed version of the spectacle currently going down in Orlando, the Las Vegas edition is a chance for players and coaches around the league to catch up, rookies to get acclimated in a training-camp style environment and fans to get a sneak peak at what is mostly newly constructed rosters.
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Let's take a look at how and when fans can catch the games.
Las Vegas Summer League Information
Dates: July 11-21
Watch: NBA Summer League Pass, NBA TV
Teams/Rosters: Full rosters can be found at HoopsHype.
Bracket: Full schedule can be found at NBA.com.
NBA TV Schedule
| Friday, July 11 | New York vs. Dallas* (Game 1) | 1 p.m. |
| Friday, July 11 | Toronto vs. LA Lakers* (Game 2) | 3 p.m. |
| Friday, July 11 | Cleveland vs. Milwaukee* (Game 3) | 5 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 12 | Portland vs. New York* (Game 7) | 1 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 12 | Toronto vs. Denver* (Game 9) | 3 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 12 | Utah vs. Philadelphia* (Game 14) | 7: 30 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 13 | Cleveland vs. San Antonio* (Game 15) | 1 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 13 | Sacramento vs. Charlotte* (Game 17) | 3 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 13 | Chicago vs. Denver* (Game 19) | 5 p.m. |
| Monday, July 14 | New York vs. Charlotte* (Game 23) | 1 p.m. |
| Monday, July 14 | Toronto vs. Dallas* (Game 25) | 3 p.m. |
| Monday, July 14 | Cleveland vs. Philadelphia* (Game 27) | 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday July 15 | Portland vs. Atlanta* (Game 31) | 1 p.m. |
| Tuesday July 15 | LA Clippers vs. Houston* (Game 33) | 3 p.m. |
| Tuesday July 15 | Philadelphia vs. Phoenix* (Game 35) | 5 p.m. |
| Wednesday, July 16 | Matchups TBD | 1-7 p.m. |
| Thursday, July 17 | Matchups TBD | 1-7 p.m. |
| Friday, July 18 | Matchups TBD | 1-7 p.m. |
| Saturday, July 19 | Matchups TBD | 1-7 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 20 | Matchups TBD | 3-5 p.m. |
| Monday, July 21 | Matchup TBD | 6 p.m. |
Note: NBA TV will televise all 67 games, but only 38 of them live.
Teams to Watch
Golden State Warriors
There are a bevy of reasons to dial in on the Golden State Warriors once things get underway.
For one, the Warriors took home the title last summer in the event's inaugural year, upending the Phoenix Suns in the final, 91-77.
More importantly, the opening of the tournament will mark the first time fans get to see new head coach Steve Kerr at his post. As the trend of former players turned coaches continues, the microscope will be on him at all times, even if the event is more of a me-first spectacle for players to fine tune their games or make final rosters.
Speaking of making the final roster, the Warriors also provide some intrigue in that department. Former Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft will be with the team as he continues his prove he is worth keeping around, although as Kyle Rowland of Eleven Warriors notes, he has already been doing that in Orlando's summer league with Philadelphia:
In that same vein, former North Carolina standout James Michael McAdoo will also be in attendance to prove doubters, who once considered him a first-round pick, wrong by making the final roster.
Any way sliced, the Warriors are one of the top teams to keep an eye on, especially when important names have already bought in to what the new man in charge is selling, as illustrated by Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group:
Los Angeles Lakers
Already a feature attraction because of the pseudo-home-court advantage factor, the Los Angeles Lakers have been a team firmly on the radar since last year's miserable campaign that ranks up there with the worst in franchise history.
By the time the tournament actually kicks off, it is as good as anyone's guess as to what the roster looks like, with general manager Mitch Kupchak apparently going all out in order to lure free agents to town.
For now, let's focus on what we know.
How about former Kentucky star and No. 7 overall pick Julius Randle, who, per Lakers.com's Mike Trudell, has been given the green light to participate?
A foundation for the future, Randle posted 15 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 blocks per game last season and is a surefire starter thanks to his tenacity around the ball and ability to score on the low block. His performance will be quite the test case in order to find out if he has taken the time to develop his jump shot.
Perhaps most interesting of all is how few players the team currently has under contract. This has led to names like rookies Trevor Mbakwe and LaQuinton Ross signing on to participate, as well as veterans looking to improve and find a job such as Rodrigue Beaubois.
It's quite the vulnerable time for a historic franchise not typically in this sort of situation, so watching the on-the-mend Lakers this summer will be quite entertaining.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")