{"id":354016,"date":"2025-12-17T12:04:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T12:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/354016\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T12:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T12:04:11","slug":"your-opinions-on-the-nba-cup-revealed-plus-another-qb-goes-portaling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/354016\/","title":{"rendered":"Your opinions on the NBA Cup, revealed. Plus: Another QB goes portaling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! I care about you. Inside:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feedback Loop: The game was good, but most of you didn\u2019t care<\/p>\n

Before we get to the bad news, let\u2019s start with some props: Last night\u2019s NBA Cup final was fantastic. A 124-113 comeback win<\/a> for the Knicks over the Spurs, in a game that felt like a playoff matchup \u2014 and could even be a finals preview. This is, to be clear, a marked improvement over the December basketball we\u2019ve seen in years past from the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York (18-7), particularly, looks like a full-blown contender under new coach Mike Brown. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby had 25 and 28 points last night. Jordan Clarkson microwaved a run in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers. Victor Wembanyama finished -18 against this defense. It\u2019s a great result for Knicks fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, again: Did we care? Judging by the results of yesterday\u2019s poll, the resounding answer from more than 17,000 of you was no:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Sixty percent of you care none for this event the NBA has labored to make relevant. A few points on the actual issues at hand here:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Top of mind, the Cup is a drain on teams, as John Hollinger wrote earlier this month. The Cup has only added to the frantic pace of the early season, and some teams are already gassed before 2026 even begins. John\u2019s story touched a nerve and even prompted a response from the NBA. It\u2019s worth a read<\/a>.
There is a level of artifice here not found in those European soccer competitions the league is hoping to emulate. There, teams from multiple leagues play against each other, providing something completely new to viewers. Here, NBA teams are playing \u2026 other NBA teams. Marcus Thompson II made a great suggestion: Maybe the NBA should open this up to the world<\/a>. I\u2019m all for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny, I came into this topic yesterday agreeing with the masses. It is difficult to really invest in the NBA Cup emotionally for the parameters outlined here and in yesterday\u2019s newsletter. And yet this overwhelming response has me on the defensive \u2014 the NBA is trying something, at least. Players are clearly motivated, though paying them more money on top of the money they\u2019re already earning to play these same regular-season games adds to the aforementioned artifice. But they\u2019re trying, and that counts.<\/p>\n

I went to The Bounce<\/a>\u2019s Zach Harper for help:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I think the Cup is good. Not everybody is bought in. Not everybody takes it seriously. The courts look dumb. But it does add something missing for early interest\/competition in a long season \u2026 once we get to the final couple of games. This is likely to stick around, and after years and years of this, younger generations will care enough to make it a thing. That\u2019s what the purpose of this is. Connecting with future fans. That\u2019s why it\u2019s valuable. That and winning $500,000.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Congrats to the Knicks for winning the Cup title and its prize money. I hope we care more next year. Let\u2019s keep moving:<\/p>\n

News to Know<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

WNBA, players still far apart
By a factor of two, to be exact. Sources told The Athletic\u2019s Ben Pickman the players\u2019 latest proposal to the league amid CBA talks asks for 30 percent of total league and team revenue to go to the players, while the league\u2019s latest offering has that number at under 15 percent. The current collective bargaining agreement ends Jan. 9, and there\u2019s already worry about the upcoming season. The full story is worth a read<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More news<\/p>\n

After fierce backlash, FIFA will make $60 World Cup tickets available to about 1,000 fans per game. Not enough, in my opinion, but it\u2019s a start<\/a>.
\nLuis Su\u00e1rez, 38, is finalizing a deal to re-sign with Inter Miami for next season. Read our full report<\/a>.
\nAlso in NBA news: Commissioner Adam Silver said the league will decide on possible expansion<\/a> in 2026, with the focus on Seattle and Las Vegas.
\nJim Harbaugh said he texted Sherrone Moore after the ex-Michigan coach\u2019s firing and arrest. Read Harbaugh\u2019s full comments<\/a>.
\nNorth Texas QB Drew Mestemaker is expected to enter the transfer portal after his coach left for Oklahoma State. He\u2019s going to make a lot of money<\/a>.
\nFormer Alabama coach Nick Saban is now a minority owner<\/a> of the Nashville Predators.
\nA new travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump could keep fans from Senegal and the Ivory Coast from attending the World Cup. Read more<\/a>.
\nA professional darts player lost at the World Darts Championship \u2026 and then punched a table until his hand was bloody. Full backstory here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What to Watch<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NCAAF: Old Dominion vs. South Florida
6 p.m. ET on ESPN
Both of these teams are 9-3 and led by dual-threat quarterbacks who both lead their teams in passing and rushing yards this year. The Bulls are of particular interest in this StaffDNA Cure Bowl, a team coached by new Auburn head man Alex Golesh and ready for Ohio State\u2019s Brian Hartline. Louisiana and Delaware play the nightcap in the 68 Ventures Bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa NHL: Devils at Golden Knights
10 p.m. ET on TNT\/HBO Max
New Jersey (18-14-1) is fighting in a crowded Metropolitan division while Las Vegas (16-6-9) leads the Pacific, but the two teams are just four points apart in the standings. New Jersey is still figuring out its path forward<\/a> after missing out on Quinn Hughes.<\/p>\n

Get tickets to games like these here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Andrew Marchand crowned his second annual \u201cGolden Clickers,\u201d his winners and losers of the year in sports media, this morning. See his picks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At heart, Carson Carels is a 17-year-old farm boy who comes from a long line of them. He also happens to be the NHL\u2019s hottest draft prospect right now<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Hollinger returns with the next NBA topic we\u2019ll be discussing at length: the trade deadline. He picked his All-Deadline Team here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What would a national title mean for every College Football Playoff team? Will Leitch had fun with this<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I think mom will be OK with this dinner distraction: Larry Holder has the story of how a dad and his 13-year-old sons took over supper with a video that landed them the most expensive Shohei Ohtani card to exist. Incredible stuff<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Warriors fan emailed team owner Joe Lacob, excoriating him for Golden State\u2019s poor start to the season. He didn\u2019t expect Lacob to respond<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons both tore their ACLs last weekend. Mike Jones says that\u2019s enough evidence to abandon the thought of an 18th game<\/a>. I agree, but I don\u2019t know if the league will listen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The NBA Cup poll.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday: NFL Week 16 Power Rankings<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, and check out our other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-354016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-nba","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/354017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}