Hang on to your hoop dreams, basketball aficionados, for the WNBA has decided to stir things up – in the most excitingly suspenseful way. Let's roll out the basketball and a note of the change in the Commissioner’s Cup format. Ladies and gentlemen, the game we all adore will now come with half the number of games yet double the thrill, all condensed into a jaw-dropping, two-week period in early June.
The new structure shakes things up, dusts off the old, and brings us a fresh, invigorating schedule. Anxious about the number of games? Don't be! Teams will now only have to play five games, going head-to-head once against every other team in the conference. This is a significant slip from the 10 games played in the first three years.
In this merry-go-round of home and road games, some teams will play three games at home, while others will putt for two. But worry not, as they will trade-offs each season who has the extra home game.
'The newly designed, concentrated structure for this in-season tournament adds an increased sense of urgency and excitement as we place a particular spotlight on Eastern and Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup play in a two-week window near the tip-off of our regular season.', announced WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, adding fuel to the blazing basketball excitement.
Save the date, folks! Games will be played between the 1st and 13th of June, culminating in a championship game on June 25 at the abode of the team with the best record in Cup play.
What's more, the WNBA is dishing out the same – or potentially even more – prize money from a $500,000 prize pool, with a charitable component attached to each game. Isn't that just a cherry on top?
And, just when we thought that was all the changes, we learned that NBA franchises had different courts designed for the in-season tournament games. Though Engelbert is not expecting this to happen in the WNBA soon, she quipped, “This is all about the competition on the court. It's a pretty expensive endeavor. We would like it to look a little different and will work with our broadcast partners to look different.”
So, grab your cheering gears, don your team colors, for the games are about to get started - in the most electrifying way!
