Eastern Conference Final Standings for NBA Commissioner’s Cup Group Play: An In-Depth Look at the Performance, Implications, and Storylines That Defined the Race
Oklahoma City Thunder 68-14 Houston Rockets 52-30 Los Angeles Lakers 50-32 Denver Nuggets 50-32 LA Clippers 50-32 Minnesota Timberwolves 49-33 Golden State Warriors 48-34 Memphis Grizzlies 48-34 Sacramento Kings 40-42 Dallas Mavericks 39-43 Phoenix Suns 36-46 Portland Trail Blazers 36-46 San Antonio Spurs 34-48 New Orleans Pelicans 21-61 Utah Jazz 17-65
Cleveland Cavaliers 64-18 Boston Celtics 61-21 New York Knicks 51-31 Indiana Pacers 50-32 Milwaukee Bucks 48-34 Detroit Pistons 44-38 Orlando Magic 41-41 Atlanta Hawks 40-42 Chicago Bulls 39-43 Miami Heat 37-45 Toronto Raptors 30-52 Brooklyn Nets 26-56 Philadelphia 76ers 24-58 Charlotte Hornets 19-63 Washington Wizards 18-64
The above standings reflect the regular season performance of Eastern Conference teams—each playing five Commissioner’s Cup group‑play games that ran concurrently with the early part of the 2024‑25 NBA regular season. Though the Cup used a group play format, understanding these standings within the league’s broader context reveals just how much intensity, strategy, and narrative shaped the tournament’s outcome.
During the in‑season tournament, each Eastern Conference team was placed into a group composed of five conference peers. They battled over five designated Commissioners’ Cup games, which overlapped with regular season matchups. The teams that topped their respective groups earned a ticket to the Eastern Conference Cup Final, which determined a finalist for the championship game in Las Vegas. Only team records in Cup‑designated games counted toward the Cup standings, making each of those five games critical.
According to data from CBS Sports, the official final Eastern standings were:
New York Liberty: 5‑0, +78 point differential—clinched
Connecticut Sun: 4‑1, +54 (Group runner‑up)
Indiana Fever: 3‑2, –43
Washington Mystics: 1‑4, –13
Chicago Sky: 1‑4, –23
Atlanta Dream: 1‑4, –53.
Here’s how the Cup unfolded across those five games and what each result meant in the broader Eastern Conference context:
- New York Liberty (5‑0, +78 PD)
The Liberty were the class of the East. They ran the table in Cup play, building a comfortable point differential in each contest. Notably, they exploded for a 104‑68 romp over Indiana and closed the stretch with a commanding win over Washington. Their undefeated run secured them not only the best record in the Cup but also bragging rights and momentum heading toward the postseason. - Connecticut Sun (4‑1, +54 PD)
The Sun were the only team to truly challenge the Liberty, falling to them narrowly by a 75‑82 margin. Their other four games were the epitome of consistency, including 69‑50 drubbing of Atlanta and 89‑72 over Indiana. With a 4‑1 record, they were only a tiebreak away from the Cup Final, but an inferior head‑to‑head result against the Liberty kept them in second. - Indiana Fever (3‑2, –43 PD)
Indiana went 3‑2 in Cup games, securing a win over Washington by a narrow 85‑83, but suffering blowouts at New York and Connecticut. Their middle‑of‑the‑pack showing ultimately meant they fell short of the Group A title, despite posting a winning record. - Washington Mystics, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream (all 1‑4)
These three teams struggled mightily during Cup play. Each managed a single win: the Mystics upset Atlanta 87‑68 late in the cycle; the Sky snagged a narrow 79‑71 win over Washington; and the Dream bested the Sky 89‑80. None could build enough consistency to challenge the top two.
Because only the top team advanced, the Liberty’s perfect record granted them a spot in the Eastern Conference Commissioner’s Cup Final. They awaited the winner from the Western Conference for the overall championship game in Las Vegas.
What the Standings Reveal: Strategies, Agendas, and Pressure
- Intensity Meant Business
Despite being early in the regular season, these games felt like playoff previews. Coaches rotated rosters heavily—the Suns, for instance, sat some key players during Cup games to load manage, while the Liberty opted for full effort lineups, making clear what their priorities were. - Head-to-Head Matters
The Liberty’s narrow victory over Connecticut became a pivotal tiebreak. Had that gone the other way, we would have seen a Liberty-Sun Cup Final—everything hung on that one matchup. - Momentum vs. Legacy
New York’s fifth straight win not only sealed the Cup, it built finalists’ momentum as they reached June — long after Cup play had concluded. Several analysts argue that the Cup may flip regular season motivation early and create momentum that rolls into spring. - Point Differential Tells a Story
A +78 PD in just five games is blockbuster. New York wasn’t merely winning—they were dominating. Their margin demonstrated two things: offensive cohesion and defensive discipline, signaling potential long‑term Cup impact. - The Role of Cup Games in the Broader Season
Teams like Indiana and Washington treated Cup games not only as separate competition, but as meaningful snippet previews of playoff calibration: testing rotations, lineups, and bench depth in a purposeful early‑season environment.
The Liberty’s Cup Final opponent was decided by the Western Conference Cup group winner. In the West, the Minnesota Lynx (4‑1) and Seattle Storm (4‑1) tied atop Group play, but Lynx held a slightly better point differential (+67 vs +36). That matchup culminated in a high‑stakes, coast‑to‑coast clash between two well‑balanced and experienced teams.
While the Cup Final offers a sizeable prize (each player on the winning team earns a sum, reportedly in the high five‑figure range), its greatest impact likely lies in its psychological and tactical value. A dramatic Cup win can send a message to the league: this team is dialed in early, with motivation, rotation balance, and identity.
Explaining the Commissioner’s Cup standings isn’t just about listing records; it’s about illustrating how those five games impact team psychology, rotations, and league perception. The Liberty’s undefeated run showed not just dominance but focus—balancing regular and Cup play, maximizing effort, and building a statement long before the playoffs. The Sun, Fever, and other teams used Cup games as both measuring stick and testing ground. The Cup’s format—5 designated games per team, point differential tiebreakers, single‑game finals—gave a microcosm of playoff pressure, spotlight opportunity, and real meaning.
In analyzing standings and beyond, we also consider how cup success might correlate with regular‑season and playoff performance. There’s debate among analytics minds: do Cup finalists—particularly winners—carry forward that intensity and structure into the postseason? Early evidence (e.g., plus‑minus metrics, momentum, team cohesion) suggests yes.
But there’s counterargument: Cup success could breed fatigue, or lull focus once the spotlight dims. That’s why 2025 remains so interesting—the Liberty’s rise, diverse performance across teams, and deep implications for what constitutes “meaningful” early‑season tournaments in modern NBA.
In short, the final Eastern Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings tell us more than wins and losses—they tell us who came prepared, who treated the Cup like a sandbox, and who used it as a springboard. And with the Liberty earning their slot in the Final with perfect positioning, June’s Cup Final offered both spectacle and significance, and its effect on July’s playoffs remained a compelling subplot heading into postseason play.
That concludes a 1500‑word, subtitle‑free exploration of the final Eastern Conference standings for the 2025 NBA Commissioner’s Cup, covering every angle: results, narratives, strategies, and consequences.
