NBA fans reaction to the "accident" of Lakers and Mavericks, who were divided into the same group in the NBA Cup

NBA fans expressed doubts about the coincidence of the Lakers and Mavericks being separated in the same tournament group. On Wednesday, the NBA officially announced the grouping of the 2025-26 NBA Cup, which will be the third consecutive year the league held this event. Although fans have received mixed responses so far, this year's championship is expected to be even more exciting as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks are in the same group.

Of course, a few months ago, the Lakers and Mavericks were the most shocking trading focus in basketball history, when Luca Doncic was traded in exchange for Anthony Davis. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) quickly speculated that the so-called random draw in the NBA decided to group the playoffs, which was actually carefully planned for this showdown.

A fan wrote: "We have to get used to seeing the match between the Lakers and the Mavericks." There was also a picture of a cow with the Mavericks and the Lakers logo being milked by the NBA.

Another fan added: "The Lakers and Mavericks, yes, I'm sure that's just a coincidence."

Another fan wrote: "I saw Adam Xiaohua and the Lakers and Mavericks."

A fascinating showdown

While fans may speculate that the Lakers' match against the Mavericks was arranged by the NBA, it is undeniable that the game between the two teams will be a must-see TV broadcast in the coming years.

Just over five months ago, the Mavericks traded Doncic, who was at its peak, to the Lakers, shocked the sports world. Doncic just led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals less than a year ago.

Now, the Lakers and Mavericks are looking for ways to reorganize during the offseason - the two teams won only one game in total last season.

The intraseason tournament has not well predicted the direction of the playoffs in the past two years, as neither the Lakers (2023 championship) nor the Bucks (2024 championship) have won more than a game in the subsequent playoffs.

However, this may not stop NBA fans from turning on TV at the start of the Lakers and Mavericks game.