Evaluating Pros, Cons Of Celtics Taking NBA In-Season Tournament Seriously
Boston is the favorite to win the inaugural tournament
The NBA In-Season Tournament tips off Friday night, and fans are unsure how seriously teams actually will take the inaugural tournament.
The Celtics don’t start Group C play until next Friday, when they take on the Brooklyn Nets. The Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors also are in Boston’s group.
Teams will play one game against each opponent in their group. Eight teams will advance to the knockout rounds, with each group winner and one wild card from each conference. All games will be played every Tuesday and Friday and will count toward the regular season, except for the championship game, which will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. Players and coaches will receive $500,000 and the NBA Cup trophy.
Boston is the favorite to win the tournament, but it’s hard for fans to decipher what the value of the tournament will be. The WNBA introduced the Commissioner’s Cup in 2020, which the NBA In-Season Tournament is modeled after, along with inspiration from soccer tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.
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The Commissioner’s Cup largely has been neutral for WNBA fans. The tournament brought back the East-West format, and the league’s shorter season did allow for games to be more competitive than a regular-season game would be, but the New York Liberty aren’t exactly touting their Commissioner’s Cup title over the Las Vegas Aces’ WNBA championship.
The NBA play-in has been a success at delivering more stakes for teams later in the season, and there have been competitive games with teams battling for a playoff spot. But the NBA In-Season Tournament merely offers a prize to the players and a trophy that won’t be valued as much as the Larry O’Brien.
Let’s look at the potential pros and cons of the Celtics going all-out to try to win the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Cons
Let’s start negative, since that seems to be the easier argument and the one that most fans leaned toward when the tournament was announced. When the Celtics proclaimed their pursuit of Banner 18, they didn’t have the NBA In-Season Tournament in mind. And it would be an embarrassing look if Boston hung a banner for the NBA In-Season Tournament in the same season it got eliminated from the postseason. The tournament makes sense for younger teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Celtics should strive for larger goals. Most of the tournament counts toward the regular season, so it’s unlikely Boston rolls out a B-Team like the top English clubs do in the early rounds of the FA Cup. But it’s likely going to be just another regular-season game for the Celtics, even if the players and coach Joe Mazzulla say otherwise. Also, $500,000 probably isn’t enticing enough for the Celtics, especially for Jaylen Brown, who is the highest-paid player in the league, and Jayson Tatum, who is expected to sign his supermax deal next season.
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Pros
The biggest negative is more of a “who cares” attitude. But perhaps the marketing and the sparkle the league is attempting to put on the NBA In-Season Tournament is enough to get fans amped up. The league needed a boost for ratings in the middle of the NFL season and competitive games in the first few months could do the trick. The Celtics built up hype during their 4-0 start, and while winning the NBA In-Season Tournament shouldn’t be the primary goal, it could serve as a stepping stone for a team that hasn’t accomplished anything yet. It could serve as practice for Tatum and Brown to perform in clutch moments. Kristaps Porzingis isn’t known for rising to the occasion, but if he does so to help Boston win the NBA Cup, it would serve as a positive sign to build momentum for the team’s chase for an NBA title.
There’s certainly a risk of a double-edged sword. If the Celtics do win the NBA In-Season Tournament, it’s possible an apathetic reaction is the primary takeaway. But if Boston makes a deep run and loses, then that would serve as confirmation bias for naysayers who believe the C’s aren’t able to step up in big moments. The best option for the Celtics is to play their game, take the results as they come and maybe wait until after the 2023-24 season is over before making any declarations if they do win the in-season tourney.
