Now in its third year, the NBA Cup has received a mixed reaction from fans and players alike.

As opposed to midseason tournaments for other sports leagues — one of the most prestigious being international soccer’s UEFA Champions League — the NBA Cup only runs for a handful of group-play and knockout-round games that also count as regular-season games (except for the championship).

The league’s motivation for creating the cup is to add some more drama and stakes to the first quarter or so of the season. But what about the players? Those on the winning team receive more than $500,000, which some say is motivation enough. Others simply like traveling to Las Vegas and competing for a trophy.

These games do create a bit of a scheduling headache, as The Athletic’s John Hollinger outlined earlier this month. The unique, sometimes garish courts can create actual headaches, too.

As we prepare for Saturday’s semifinals and Tuesday’s final, our reporters spoke with more than a dozen coaches and players around the league to gauge their thoughts on the tournament. (Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.)

In Year 3, how has the attitude toward the NBA Cup shifted? How seriously is the cup taken by fellow players and why/why not?

Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder guard: “I like it. It’s fun. Obviously, we are playing for something — which is entertaining, especially in the middle of the season — and the team gets to go to Vegas. It was a nice experience last year. We didn’t finish the job, but just the experience overall was amazing.”

Chris Finch, Minnesota Timberwolves coach: “I do sense it amongst the league players (that appreciation for the NBA Cup is growing). Yeah, I really do. I mean, players talk about it openly. I think it’s a perfect shot in the arm at this point in the early start of the season.”

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks guard: “I think there is competitive basketball night in and night out. There’s a little added juice to it knowing what’s at stake. If you win, you move on and try to win something. We have a lot of guys and coaches who don’t make as much as some guys on this team, so it’s an added bonus for them, as well. You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for the entire team.”

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson defends Raptors guard Jamal Shead during Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal in Toronto. (Cole Burston / Getty Images)

Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks coach: “I think it’s a benefit, for sure. I think the attention that it gets has been amazing. I think the players see that court down, and it brings energy. … Now, I will say, on the back end of it, the team that has won it has struggled coming out. I found that last year, it’s hard. I was looking at the schedule when it first came out, and I thought, if we won the Cup, I think we had one day off, and then we would have had to play; that’s going to be hard to do. That’s like throwing the game away, really. Other than that, the benefits are all pluses.”

Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs guard: “I think everybody’s taking it pretty serious, with what the stakes are, what the rewards are. And again, being able to play in big-time games (the Spurs played the Lakers in the quarterfinal round Wednesday night), it just amplifies the regular season a little bit.”

Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic coach: “I think it means a lot for our guys. They take it extremely seriously. … But these guys, they lock in on a different level because they know what you get on the back end of it. The competitive nature that these guys have just for playing regular games, but also knowing that there’s something on the back end of it, turns it up a little bit more.”

How motivated are you by the ‘prize’ for winning the cup? Is there something else that would be better or more motivating?

Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers guard: “I think that people want to win more money. I think that’s the main goal.”

Harrison Barnes, Spurs forward: “I’m excited. I want us to go to Vegas. That’s what our focus is.”

Maxi Kleber, Lakers forward: “People take it seriously. They want to win, they want to go out (to Vegas). Obviously, you still have the NBA championship, but this is just like another competition in midseason. In the long season, where you have a lot of games, that gives you a little bit of a competitive extra boost.”

Miles McBride, Knicks guard: “I love when guys get to the highest level of competing. I feel like it can get a little mundane at the start of the season. Everyone is trying to find a rhythm. Cup games are more high-stakes.”

Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves guard: “When I see the court, I’m like, ‘It’s time to win the money.’ We ain’t been to Vegas one time. At least come in first, second or third, and we get a little bit of money. So, whichever (place) we come in, I’m cool. We get a little wire transfer.”

Dort: “Any time you play for something, it’s huge. There is stuff you can get just by playing basketball, which is even better. If you get a chance to win something, it’s nice.”

How much does the NBA Cup schedule inconvenience a player/team? And how much relevance is there to the ‘cup slump’ theory?

Rivers: “I wish it was a little later. I think (it’s) conditioning in players, and I wish on the back end of it, that was your break. You can figure out a way of taking a break. I even talked to the guys at the league about maybe putting that right before All-Star break, and then you go into the break. I think that would be a fantastic way of doing it, but the All-Star break is so deep (into the season) now that I don’t know if you do it that way, either.

The only downfall — and I talked to (Bucks assistant coach) Darvin (Ham) about it — is coming out of it, you’re in trouble. … If I could have done last year over, then I would have sat the whole team. … You’re on this high, and then you get back to the regular season and the team you’re playing hasn’t played. They’re sitting there waiting for you.”

Jake LaRavia, Lakers forward: “I don’t think (players view it as an inconvenience). Again, just because you have that chance to win that half a million (dollars). You’ve got one extra game, and then everything else is just pretty much a regular-season standings (game).”

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat coach: “I hope we have that challenge. I don’t know because we never have.”

Mosley: “I’d love to get there to tell you afterward.”

Luka Dončić recently said the NBA Cup courts pose a safety issue. Between the design and such concerns, what are players’ actual feelings about the courts?

Jonathan Isaac, Magic forward: “I would say (they’re) a little bit of a distraction, and that’s just me personally. Minnesota’s court was like you could see the colors coming off the ground onto the players’ jerseys and stuff (on TV). That’s just a little much. I feel like if we tone it down just a little bit, it’d be better.”

Reaves: “I think some are better than others. I think ours was slick. I remember one of the first possessions I tried to stop to go get a ball, and my foot just slipped out from under me.”

Kleber: “I like the designs, like, a little different look. I think it’s also fun for the fans to have a different vibe in the arena. To the part of the slippery court, like (Reaves) said, some are better than others.”

Dort: “I like them. I don’t think the NBA will create a court that will disadvantage us. I feel like we didn’t have any problems with the court. We’ve been doing fine with the Cup courts.”

Is Las Vegas a good site for the NBA Cup?

Kleber: “Yeah. … There’s always a chance to switch it up and go somewhere else, but as of now, it’s like a neutral ground. There’s a lot of fans out there, too, that never get to see (NBA) basketball.”

LaRavia: “For the finals, I think so. Every year? No, I think they can mix it up … maybe New York or, like, a … I don’t know. Vegas is just like a site where there’s not already an NBA team, and you don’t really visit there unless it’s summer league or something.”

Dort: “It’s cool. Obviously, Vegas is a nice place to be. They do something really nice around the event, a lot of media attention. It’s always fun to go to Vegas in the middle of the season.”

Reaves: “I think that depends on who you ask. I don’t like Vegas. (It should be in) L.A. I love L.A.”