In its brief two-season history, NBA Cup games have typically been when the Lakers are at their best. Their collective focus is dialed up, understanding the stakes for the In-Season Tournament – including a $500,

Teams are competing and not blatantly exercising organizational priorities, and in a culture where we’re waiting for the next “trades we want to see” piece to drop, I like that NBA Cup games take place just after the glorified feel-out games that mark the opening weeks of the season and wrap up just before all of those new contracts become tradeable.