Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Highlights Major Benefit Of In-Season Tournament

The Boston Celtics didn’t squander their opportunity to make a serious run at the NBA’s In-Season Tournament crown, escaping Group C and punching their ticket to the quarterfinal round earlier this week.

Rather than a typical vanilla matchup with the Chicago Bulls in late November, the implications of Boston’s standing in the tournament made Tuesday night’s game a thriller. There was the looming 23-point target that kept eyes glued to the scoreboard at TD Garden along with the constant attention given to the Brooklyn Nets-Toronto Raptors game, which could’ve impacted Boston’s chances of advancing.

In no other year would a night like that exist less than 20 games into a regular season, making for a run that’s benefited the new-look Celtics so far, according to star Jaylen Brown.

“I think the in-Season tournament is gonna help us a little bit,” Brown told reporters at Thursday’s practice, per CLNS Media video. “Why? Because, like, the season can get a little mundane, you know, 82 games, it’s a grind. It gets kind of, like, monotonous a little bit game after game. Mixing it up, having a little something different I think increases our focus level.”

At first, skepticism surrounded the in-Season tournament, and rightfully so.

Why create a meaningless tournament played on a random basis? What’s the incentive of treating the tournament like an actual playoff hunt? Would players back the creativity efforts of NBA commissioner Adam Silver?

So far, many of the questions around the tournament have been answered and the verdict is in: The tournament isn’t a flop. Sure, the main objective is for the NBA to boost viewership on the uneventful matchups by adding some spice to the mix, but it’s worked.

“For the most part, I think everybody was kind of in the same boat. Like, they didn’t hate it, but they didn’t love it either,” Brown explained. “But as it’s starting to grow, people are starting to gravitate to it a little bit more. So I think it’s been a good thing so far.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was so committed to going all-in that Boston busted out the classic “Hack-A” defense strategy on Bulls center Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter — already ahead by double digits. That’s unheard of.

Nevertheless, having compiled an NBA-best 14-4 record thus far, Boston’s true test will come in maintaining that standing atop the Eastern Conference.