Josh Hart of the New York Knicks makes a funny attempt to seek patronage with the NBA Cup’s sponsor months before the commencement of the 2024-25 season. That sponsor is none other than the massive airline Emirates, from whom Hart seeks a query.
Hart joked about his insights in X. He wanted the airlines to provide teams with a piece of their aircraft, especially for away games. He refers to the New York Knicks, his team. Although his intentions are mild, Emirates transporting NBA players can be a great addition.
“Do we get to fly in @emirates planes for those away games?”
Recently, the NBA announced the NBA Cup on their official X account, which will start in November, a month after the formal start of the 2024-25 NBA season. The post explained the rules: all 30 teams would play in different groups, whereas eight would advance.
The in-season tournament is sponsored by Emirates Airlines, which signed a multi-year deal with the basketball league back in February. It also involved naming rights. Hence, the NBA Cup has now been called the Emirates NBA Cup for sponsorship purposes.
Hart’s New York Knicks team is in Group A of the Eastern Conference. They would compete against the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and the Charlotte Hornets. They would first face the 76ers at their home court on the starting day, November 12.
In the last NBA Cup, the Knicks were in Group B, where they ended up in second place after winning two games and losing one. They advanced to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, they exited early after losing to their groupmates, the Milwaukee Bucks, in a dominating manner.
All games in the in-season tournament are counted as regular-season games, except the championship game. After losing against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks returned to playing in the conference proper the day after. They eventually ended up second-seeded by April.
The New York Knicks plans to bounce back the following season.
Despite being in second place, the Knicks never reached the Eastern Conference Finals. They horribly lost against the Indiana Pacers in a comeback in the semifinals, reaching seven games.
The Knicks’ stars suffered from a barrage of injuries. By the start of Game 7, New York’s Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mitchell Robinson are considered out. The game with the Pacers dominating, 130-109.
The Knicks plan to defend their second seed or even aim for a higher the following season. They would also definitely watch out for injuries.
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