NBA Cup's final weekend isn't selling well in Las Vegas, but there's a simple solution

The semifinals of the NBA Cup are set, with the Milwaukee Bucks facing the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder playing the Houston Rockets.

It's not a surprise that ticket sales are lagging for the Cup, simply due to the nature of the in-season tournament. The matchups aren't set until three days before the semifinals happen, making it difficult for even diehard fans to plan a trip to Las Vegas to see their teams. That's especially true when all the teams close to Sin City lost out.

Going to Vegas from Los Angeles, Phoenix or the San Francisco Bay Area is fairly easy and affordable, even on the spur of the moment. From L.A. or Phoenix, fans can even drive. But to get to Vegas from Milwaukee or Oklahoma City on short notice can be both logistically difficult and expensive.

Attendance relies heavily on interest from people who are already in Las Vegas, which means that teams with a broader national fan base — like the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks or the Lakers — simply are more likely to draw fans at a neutral site.

The game times don't help. The Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks game starts at 1:30 p.m. locally, a time chosen to accommodate turning over the arena for the evening crowd. The second game is scheduled for 5:30. In a city where many businesses are open all night and casinos famously don't have clocks, early afternoon isn't exactly prime time.

This isn't to say any of the semifinal teams are unworthy or that the games won't be entertaining. All of the potential matchups are fun, with MVP candidates, All-Stars and potential All-Defensive teamers. They simply aren't going to drive Las Vegas ticket sales on short notice.

There's one simple solution that would be better for attendance and television ratings: Make the semifinals a single-ticket event. That's what the Final Four does, a single-elimination tournament that the NBA seems to be imitating with the Cup.

Then, the games can start closer together, without the need to usher out one crowd and welcome another between contests. That, in turn, allows for a later start time. It's also far easier to sell out half the number of seats and ensure that there's actually a crowd cheering on the NBA's signature midseason event.

Even if the Lakers and Knicks aren't playing.