Several teams with iconic courts - the Boston Celtics, Lakers and the Chicago Bulls among them - had never used an alternate court. The plan was to show them some renderings, explain the turnaround required and request their cooperation. 10, the league requested the main facilities contact for each of its 30 teams attend a Zoom call. (Yes, the Pelicans are embracing a combination nightlife/Halloween theme in their City Edition art this season, complete with a revamped bony pelican logo - nicknamed the "skelican" in some corners.) Here are three finished examples - one update on a classic court (the Lakers), and two more radical floors based upon city edition jerseys from the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans: "And it became, 'OK, how are we going to do this? How are we going to get 30 courts to 30 teams in 29 buildings, and do it in time? Are we crazy?'" (The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers play in the same arena.) "We started making decisions later than we probably could have," Arena said. A tipped-over version of the trophy would be squeezed inside the foul line on both ends of each court. "That was the 'Wow.'"īy late July, they had settled on that template: The bulk of the court in one color linked to each team's City Edition uniform, with one central strip the width of the in-the-key painted area running from baseline to baseline in another shade - meant to evoke an airport runway, and the idea that each group play game had the teams on their own runway to the tournament's final four in Las Vegas.Ī giant in-season tournament trophy would serve as the center-court logo, superimposed on each team's individual logo. "The biggest decision was to paint the entire court with no wood showing," Arena told ESPN. Soon after, a combination of Silver, other senior leaders and the league's creative services group started kicking around a bigger idea: What if we painted the entire court? And what if we did it for all 30 teams, using the same general template? The feedback - with Silver perhaps the loudest voice - was clear, said Christopher Arena, the NBA's head of on-court and brand partnerships: "More, more, more - bigger and bolder." Others suggested the teams might warm up in new shooting shirts used only for tournament games.Īround mid-July, they took those ideas to senior leadership, including commissioner Adam Silver. Officials proposed special decals on the floor and boundaries, similar to the ones it uses for the NBA Finals and All-Star Game - only these might read "Group A" or "Group B," perhaps alongside a rendering of the trophy the tournament winners would eventually get. But those words and markings are small and might fade from the viewer's consciousness fast.Īround April, they started thinking about the basketball court itself. Sure, the league could work with broadcast partners so that scoreboards would alert viewers that the game was part of the tournament. NBA, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Memphis GrizzliesĪbout seven months ago - when the NBA was optimistic its long-dreamed-of in-season tournament would finally become reality - the league's creative brain trust began tinkering with a big question: How could they make sure fans would know instantly they were watching a group stage game? How the bold new NBA in-season tournament courts came to fruition You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |