LAS VEGAS — The NBA has long perfected its traveling circus. There is no striped tent or bearded lady, but all it takes is a podium, a blue backdrop and the silhouette of Jerry West to make any arena feel like the greatest show on hardwood has rolled into town. Early December marked brand new territory for all the league’s bells and whistles and corporate extravagance, and yet this week’s scene felt so familiar, some spiritual mix of NBA Finals sheen and the spectacle of an All-Star Weekend.

The familiar setting of Sin City certainly helped matters, where buzz about potential expansion into Las Vegas will flutter anytime the league touches the Strip, especially when LeBron James holds a microphone and even when Adam Silver hands the game’s all-time leading scorer the first in-season tournament MVP — after James’ Lakers claimed the inaugural NBA Cup on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. At center court and before the world, Silver broke the fourth wall and teased James that the trophy and the championship’s prize money doesn’t come with a stake in some eventual 31st franchise.