Quote:
According to the NBA's FAQ page, teams will compete to win each 12-minute quarter for their designated Chicago-based charities. If the first or second quarter ends in a tie, the $100,000 charity award will be added to the next quarter's award. If the third quarter ends in a tie, the money is added to the team that wins the game.
The fourth quarter will be a unique commemoration to Bryant. The game clock will be turned off and a "final target score" will be set, the NBA said. The target score is determined by the leading team's cumulative score for three quarters and adding 24 points -- a nod to Bryant's No. 24 jersey, which he wore for the last decade of his career.
For instance, if a game entering the fourth is 100-95, the team with 100 points would only need to score 24 points in the fourth to win before the other team scores 29.
It's weird, and there has even been some speculation about if the league will ever incorporate this strange ending style (called the ''Elam Ending'') into the regular season. All I can say is this: by god, I hope not. Sounds like a brilliant way to kill tight games.