Andre Iguodala Predicts a LeBron James Exploitation in his Blockbuster In-Season Tournament Final Claim

The thrilling inaugural NBA in-season tournament group play culminated today after delivering the promised fix of scoreboard-watching and tiebreaker drama. From the Boston Celtics going on a rampage against the Bulls to get a quarterfinal berth to the Golden State Warriors blowing their 24-point lead against the Kings, the final day was as nail-biting as anyone would have expected. The Lakers, along with the Pacers, were among the first teams to clinch the knockout spots, finishing with an impressive 4-0 record on Friday.

Now that the six group winners and two wild-card teams have booked their places in the quarterfinals, the question of who will lift the first-ever NBA Cup looms large. Amidst various fans and pundits’ predictions about the final game, former Warriors star Andre Iguodala made his own claim regarding LeBron James‘ strategic exploitation during the in-season tournament finals.

Andre Iguodala makes a bold prediction

The Lakers dominated the group play stage, securing one victory after another in all four games with a whopping 74-point differential. It came as no surprise when they clinched the knockout round berth in West Group A. But can they win it all in the first-ever NBA In-Season tournament? Iggy thinks they can. In his Point Forward podcast, Iggy sat down with Evan Turner to discuss which team can take home the NBA Cup this season. According to them, the final might come down to the top-seeded teams from both conferences—the Lakers from the West and the Bucks from the East.

However, Iguodala thinks that James would exploit Milwaukee’s “deficiencies,” namely their defense, especially since it is only one game. Seeing what’s at stake (NBA Cup in this case), Bron would go all out on the Bucks to have his way. “The Lakers versus Milwaukee will be a good. Because we had that conversation, do you want one game to be LeBron or a series? And so the in-season you just get one game. Man, Bron is going to exploit all the deficiencies of a team, and we all know what the struggles that Milwaukee have had this year.”

After Milwaukee let go of their defensive sentinel, Jrue Holiday, to bring in Damian Lillard, their defense has suffered a massive blow. Last season, they allowed the fourth-fewest points per 100 possessions and the lowest effective field goal percentage. However, those statistics have seen a sharp decline, with Milwaukee now ranking 21st and 17th in these respective categories. Therefore, if they are to face the Lakers in the finals, they better brace themselves.

Is the NBA In-Season tournament a success?

The NBA In-Season tournament has been in the works for a long time, and with it in full swing now, the league is reaping the fruits of its labor. The idea behind introducing the concept of the in-season tournament was to generate more excitement and, in turn, more viewership. It looks like Adam Silver’s master plan is already a success.

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According to John Ourand of the SBJ, the league has experienced a 25% surge in viewership this year compared to last year’s Friday games in November last season. ESPN recorded a total viewership of 1.58 million viewers across six tournament games. Overall, NBA viewership has increased by 12% as compared to last season. Even NBA league pass sales are up by 42% as compared to last season.

What are your predictions for the in-season tournament final game? Who do you think will win the first-ever NBA Cup? Let us know in the comments!

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