How the NBA Cup Can Serve as a Stepping Stone for the Postseason
The Indiana Pacers’ remarkable run to the 2025 NBA championship, where they took the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder to the distance before losing Game 7, echoed their first title game appearance. Eighteen months prior, the Pacers had reached the final of the inaugural NBA Cup, then known as the In-Season Tournament, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the loss, the lessons learned in Las Vegas proved invaluable for a Pacers team that hadn’t won a playoff series since 2014.
The San Antonio Spurs, having triumphed in four consecutive must-win games to reach the NBA Cup final against the New York Knicks, can follow the Pacers’ roadmap. Although they dropped the final 124-113, the experience gained will be crucial for their postseason aspirations. The rising Orlando Magic, who also had a notable NBA Cup run, are hoping to use this experience as a springboard for the postseason, having last advanced in the playoffs in 2010.
The Spurs and Magic differ from the eventual champion Knicks, who have won a playoff series each of the last three seasons. New York’s roster features the most playoff experience in terms of games and minutes played of any team to reach the NBA Cup final, ahead of the Thunder. In contrast, the Magic and Spurs have limited playoff experience, with the Magic having the second-fewest combined playoff games on their current roster.
A Taste of High-Stakes Competition
The Pacers’ 2023 roster included a recent NBA champion in Bruce Brown, but 10 of the 14 players who played in the NBA Cup final had never appeared in a playoff game. This group included Tyrese Haliburton, whose teams had never finished fewer than 10 games below.500 through the three previous seasons. The Magic and Spurs have more playoff experience, but not by much, with the Magic’s key players having playoff experience, but none having advanced beyond the second round.
The Spurs’ victorious locker room after advancing from the West Group C showcased the team’s youthful energy, with 19-year-old Dylan Harper and 21-year-old Victor Wembanyama figuring to benefit from playing against more experienced teams in the NBA Cup knockout stages. Wembanyama’s performance in the cup games was a crucial showcase for his skills, responding with 22 points in 21 minutes in his return from a calf strain.
Pacers’ Proof of Concept
The biggest difference between Indiana and this year’s young NBA Cup contenders is that the Pacers’ roster was a work in progress at the time. The combination of advancing to the NBA Cup final and getting exposed by the Lakers in a 123-109 loss played into Indiana’s decision to trade for veteran forward Pascal Siakam. Siakam proved to be the final key of a Pacers core that reached the 2024 conference finals before reaching the NBA finals last postseason.
The Magic hope they’ve made their version of the Siakam move by adding guard Desmond Bane in June. Bane’s predictable slow start with Orlando was a distant memory as he knocked down six 3-pointers to fuel a Magic comeback in the NBA Cup quarterfinals against Miami, finishing with 37 points. For San Antonio, the trade to add a veteran to its young core came when the Spurs acquired De’Aaron Fox before the 2025 trade deadline.
Conference Finals Booster?
In the wake of San Antonio’s win, the odds still favor Orlando to match Indiana’s feat of going from not winning a playoff series in years to the conference finals with an NBA Cup knockout win in between. The Magic entered the season with higher expectations after the Bane trade and has the benefit of a clearer path to the late rounds of the playoffs with so many injuries in the East. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) has Orlando finishing just a game back in the standings on average, partially due to the schedule.
BPI rates the Spurs’ remaining schedule the fifth hardest in the NBA, while the remaining Magic games rate as the easiest. The conference gap should also benefit the Magic in terms of seeding, with Orlando claiming a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round more than two-thirds of the time. The Magic have a realistic chance to make up a 5.5-game gap on the Detroit Pistons and finish with the East’s best record.
Whether it happens this season or takes longer, a San Antonio playoff breakthrough is probably coming as long as Wembanyama stays healthy. When that takes place for the Spurs or the Magic, like the Pacers before them, an NBA Cup run will be a key part of the story. As the NBA season progresses, it will be exciting to see how these teams utilize their NBA Cup experience to make a deep postseason run.
Thursday, Dec. 25
Cavaliers at Knicks, 12 p.m.
Spurs at Thunder, 2:30 p.m.
Mavericks at Warriors, 5 p.m.
Rockets at Lakers, 8 p.m.
Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m.
All times Eastern
