Summer League Games Matter Now

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When participating teams take the court in Las Vegas this summer for the 2013 NBA Summer League, a championship will be on the line. For the first time since the league's inception in 2004, NBA Summer League will feature a format that includes preliminary games followed by a single-elimination tournament leading to an eventual champion.

The schedule tips off on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Friday, July 12, and will conclude with a championship game on Monday, July 22. All participating teams will play a minimum of five games. After the conclusion of games of July 16, all participating teams will be seeded for single-elimination tournament play that will result in a champion being crowned on July 22.

At last year's event the Golden State Warriors were a tournament best 5-0 while six teams -- the Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves -- finished with a record of 4-1. Portland's Damian Lillard led all scorers, averaging 26.5 points, while Malcolm Thomas of Chicago led the league in rebounds with 12.0 per game, and Phoenix's Kendall Marshall dished out a league-high 6.5 assists per game. Lillard (26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists) and former Memphis Grizzlies guard Josh Selby (24.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists) were named co-MVPs of the league.

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