Heat's Tyler Herro drops truth bomb on NBA Cup's 6-figure cash prize

11/12/2024 02:04 PM

As the Miami Heat take on the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night, it will be the first game in the second annual in-season tournament, which was renamed to the Emirates NBA Cup. The Heat have momentum after they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night, led by a game-winning bucket from Nikola Jovic and another impressive outing from Tyler Herro as he spoke about the benefits of the tourney.

Miami looks to add another piece of hardware to the organization, which would be the NBA Cup, which was won by the Los Angeles Lakers in the inaugural tourney last season. The team is looking to turn their fortunes around after not making it past the group stage.

Heat’s Tyler Herro on the cash prize of the NBA Cup

However, the past is in the rearview mirror of the Heat, and they are focused on the season in front of them, which includes the in-season tournament. If there is an incentive for the players, each player on the winning team was awarded $500,000 last season, which could be larger this time around.

According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, “This season, the cash prizes are expected to be slightly higher because of negotiated raises as part of the latest collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association.” Herro would speak about the increased motivation from players to care about the tournament due to the cash prize.

"It's something to play for and everybody on the team gets the same prize," Herro said via Chiang of The Miami Herald. "So I think it is a motivation for all the guys that want to compete for something and compete for their teammates, especially early on."

Last season, players on the runner-up team got $200,000 each, the ones that lost in the semifinals got $100,000, and the specific players on the team that lost in the quarterfinals got $50,000. Herro for sure sees the benefit in it, which could be more motivation for him to continue with his impeccable season so far.

Heat’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. speaks of the “different energy” of the NBA Cup

While Herro’s role with the Heat was speculated amongst fans, through 10 games of the current season, he’s leading the team in points per game with 23.2, along with 5.2 rebounds and five assists while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. Adding on to the solid numbers, he is shooting 45.6 percent from beyond the arch, which has been a focus this season to prioritize shots from deep and in the paint.

There was some initial worry about the In-Season Tournament or the now-called Emirates NBA Cup, where fans thought it was a worthless addition that did not amount to anything. Now, players are seeing a “different energy,” as was said by second-year player for the Heat in Jaime Jaquez, who just came back from a stomach illness in Sunday’s win over the Timberwolves.

"I think it's definitely a different energy that you feel, knowing that those games, I guess, mean a little more in a different way,"  Jaquez said. "It's a fun thing that the NBA is doing. We take the approach of if they're going to put it in, might as well try to win it. So that's the approach we're going to take, so looking forward to it."

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra revealed he “warmed up” to the event 

Rather than the fans in the basketball world in social media, there were also differing opinions within the league in terms of players and even head coaches. One who gave their true thoughts was a figure who has seen it all in the NBA, even including Olympic experience with Team USA in Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.

He admitted to the media that he originally was skeptical about the idea of an In-Season Tournament where the regular season games were to also count within the confines of the bracket. However, last season and just recently, he said he “warmed up” to the idea of the NBA Cup and spoke about the competition and how it was fierce in many contests.

"I warmed up to it last year," Spoelstra said of the idea. "I think it is fun for the league. When you watched the four teams compete in Vegas, it left you wanting to be there the next year."

There is an aspect of the In-Season tournament or the NBA Cup that can get the group play stage games a little messy in terms of advancing to the knockout rounds. First, one has to understand that there will be six teams that win their groups along with two wild card teams, and the element of tiebreakers can make it complicated.

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra speaks on coaching differently because of the event

If in a group, there are two or more teams tied in the tourney, the way it will be broken goes in the order of the following factors all in group play: head-to-head record, point differential, total points scored, regular-season record from last regular season and then random drawing. An important clarification here, per The Miami Herald, is that points scored in overtime will not count toward the tiebreakers dealing in point differential and total points.

Safe to say that it is a lot for a head coach to think about in a game if it gets to the point where some can know how much they need to score, among other situations, especially since the contests count towards the regular season. However, Spoelstra would downplay it and say that the sole focus for himself and the rest of the team is to win on any given night rather than coaching differently based on tiebreakers in the NBA Cup.

"You still have to manage the season," Spoelstra said. "We're going to go for a win every single night. So it should line up, your competitive spirits, tiebreakers and all of it. It really is about stacking up as many wins as you can. And then if you're fortunate enough to be able to compete for that, you just go for it."

Heat’s Tyler Herro speaks on the special courts 

Looking at the aesthetics of the tournament, it was a big deal when the Heat unveiled their special new court for the event, and there will be a different one this time around, too.

The @MiamiHEAT all-new court for the NBA In-Season Tournament pic.twitter.com/qF3uQPAubL

— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2023

The team revealed the new court via their X, formerly Twitter, account where instead of the all-red look that people poked fun at, they added yellow to the court with the red outlining.

Getting a new look for this year's HEAT In-Season Tournament pic.twitter.com/mPVPqLxEne

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) October 24, 2024

As Herro will take some usage after Jimmy Butler’s injury, he also spoke about the NBA Cup courts as he emphasized how it gives a different vibe to the event rather than just any other regular season game.

"I think it brings a different feel to them," Herro said of the courts. "It also shows that it is something different, it's not the same meaning as a regular-season game."

Miami won’t play on the new court until Nov. 26 when they face the Milwaukee Bucks, but the next two games against the Pistons Tuesday and the Indiana Pacers Thursday will be a part of the NBA Cup. They snapped a three-game losing streak Sunday against the Timberwolves to bring Miami to a 4-5 record, which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference.

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