We’re just one week into the regular season — and the NBA Cup is already here?

That’s right. A bit aggressive on the NBA calendar, for sure.

It’s the third annual NBA Cup, with teams competing for a trophy and a share of more than $500,000. The Pacers reached the Cup Finals in Las Vegas during the inaugural year, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Pacers will debut their new Cup-specific home court tonight with “INDIANA” stretching across center court. It’s Halloween at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as they host the Atlanta Hawks. With the blue court design, the team will wear their yellow Statement Edition uniforms for the first time this season.

A key detail: “Boom Baby!” — the iconic phrase of the late Slick Leonard — is featured both along the baseline and in large letters across midcourt.

Also of note: The Pacers are scheduled to wear their new City Edition uniforms, which have not yet been unveiled, for the first time on the road in Salt Lake City on Nov. 11. They’ll wear them for three consecutive games, so expect an announcement early next month.

If it’s been a while, here’s a quick NBA Cup refresher.

• Teams are divided into groups — three per conference and five teams per group.

• The Pacers are in East Group A with the Cavaliers, Hawks, Raptors, and Wizards.
• The toughest group appears to be West Group C: Rockets, Nuggets, Warriors, Trail Blazers, and Spurs.
• Group Play — 60 games total, four per team — begins Oct. 31 and runs through Friday, Nov. 28.
• Eight teams advance to the second stage, the single-elimination Knockout Rounds (Dec. 9–10). Amazon’s Prime Video, a new NBA broadcast partner, will stream the Knockout Rounds, semifinals, and championship.
• The 22 teams that don’t advance will each have two additional games added to their schedule — which is why only 80 of 82 games are currently known.
• From there, four teams move on to the semifinals (Saturday, Dec. 13) before the championship game on Tuesday, Dec. 16 in Las Vegas.

Trae Young is unavailable for Friday’s game due to injury. The Pacers have already ruled out seven players while rookie Taelon Peter (right groin strain) is questionable to play.

The Pacers (0-4) are seeking their first win of the season and enter as 2.5-point underdogs.

They’ve lost their last two meetings with the Hawks, both in Atlanta, and all three meetings last season reached 238+ points.

See Also: Two Pacers Upgraded on Injury Report, Key Hawks Player Ruled Out

NBA Cup Schedule

1. Friday, Oct. 31 v Atlanta
2. Fri., Nov. 21 at Cleveland
3. Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Toronto
4. Friday, Nov. 28 v Washington

Scott Agness is the longest-tenured Pacers beat reporter. He enters his 14th season covering the team and he's been around The Fieldhouse since 2003. He runs Fieldhouse Files — covering the Pacers, Boom, and Fever — and hosts "The Fieldhouse Files Podcast."