LAS VEGAS — Scott Morrison, the coach of the D-League Select team at the N.B.A. summer league, delivered a pregame speech on Thursday that was mostly boilerplate. He reviewed opposing personnel, advising his defenders to avoid leaving their feet on pump fakes. But he also reminded them that it was the playoffs, so the stakes were higher.
“The longer we play,” Morrison said in the locker room, “the more eyes are on us.”
For many of the N.B.A. Development League journeymen on the 12-player rosters, that was the key takeaway. They knew the bleachers at Cox Pavilion would be cluttered with scouts and executives from professional teams near and far.