If two or more teams in a group had equal records upon completion of group play, the following tiebreakers were applied in this order: Each team played one game against each of the other teams in its group, for a total of four games (two at home and two on the road). Regular season games played on Tuesdays and Fridays between November 3 and November 28 counted in the regular season standings and the In-Season Tournament standings.
In the group stage, each conference was divided into three groups with five teams each, for a total of six groups.
The tournament's format is similar to in-season, multi-stage tournaments in European soccer. Main article: NBA In-Season Tournament § Format
