Boston Celtics begin NBA Cup play against Hawks on Tuesday night
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics won an NBA Championship last season. They're looking to win another title this summer, but for now, can set their sights on winning an NBA Cup.
That's right, those ugly courts, even uglier City Edition uniforms, and the whacky point differential are all back, as the 2024 NBA Cup -- formally known as the NBA In-Season Tournament -- tips off Tuesday night around the league. The Celtics will begin their NBA Cup action with a home game against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden.
Pride and some money will be on the line as all 30 teams battle for the NBA Cup, which will conclude on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas. The Celtics didn't even make it to Vegas last year, as they fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Knockout Round. This year, they're the favorites to bring home an NBA Cup and are determined to do so after last year's disappointment. (We won't say raise an NBA Cup banner, because that's just silly.)
While we make fun of the NBA Cup, anything that gets players pumped for some regular-season games is good for the league. And the Celtics are very much pumped and eager to win this year's tournament.
Here's what you need to know about the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Cup.
Boston's special NBA Cup court
The famous parquet floor at TD Garden has been replaced with the team's special NBA Cup court, which is fittingly very green. It's better than last year's In-Season Tournament court, which looked like a bowling lane thanks to the gold stripe running down the middle.
Our NBA Cup court really pops ☘️ pic.twitter.com/VRex9Y1INd
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 7, 2024
It could be worse. At least the Celtics didn't go with the Ecto Cooler shade of green that the Minnesota Timberwolves picked for their NBA Cup court. Bill Russell's No. 6 is still part of the court in Boston too, so it's hard to complain about it too much.
Plus, the home court the Celtics will play on looks much better than the uniforms they'll wear throughout the tournament. This year's City Edition unis look like something out of the bargain bin at a department store.
At least the Celtics are still the Celtics, even if they won't necessarily look like the Celtics.
Celtics in East Group C
The NBA Cup begins with Group Play, and the Celtics are in Group C in the Eastern Conference. While the C's will see the 4-7 Hawks, the 4-7 Chicago Bulls, and the 2-6 Washington Wizards in their group, they also have to deal with the 12-0 Cleveland Cavaliers. As of Tuesday, Boston and Cleveland are the only two teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record.
In Group Play, "Cup Nights" will take place every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 12 through Dec. 3. Each team will play one game against the teams in their group, with two home game and two road games. Here's Boston's schedule for Group Play:
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Hawks @ Celtics
Tuesday, Nov. 19: Cavaliers @ Celtics
Friday, Nov. 22: Celtics @ Wizards
Friday, Nov. 29: Celtics @ Bulls
The Celtics may be without Jayson Tatum on Tuesday night, as he's listed as questionable against the Hawks with an ankle sprain. Atlanta will be without its best player, as the Hawks have already ruled out Trae Young with Achilles tendinitis.
After Group Play wraps up, the team with the best standing from each of the six groups will advance to the Knockout Round. There will also be one Wild Card team from each conference. The Knockout Rounds are single-elimination, and will begin with the quarterfinals from December 10-11. Winning teams will then head to Las Vegas for the semifinals on Dec. 14, with the Championship game set for Dec. 17.
The Celtics won Group C last year with a 3-1 record, but they had to pummel the Bulls in the final game of Group Play in order to win on point differential. Joe Mazzulla called for the C's to foul Chicago's Andre Drummond -- a notoriously poor free-throw shooter -- in the fourth quarter to maintain the team's big lead. Boston ended up winning, 124-97, and that margin of victory was big enough to advance. So running up the score is encouraged during Group Play.
The Celtics ended up losing in the quarterfinals to the Indiana Pacers, and feel like they have some unfinished business heading into this year's tournament. The Los Angeles Lakers ended up beating the Pacers in the Championship game last season, and celebrated like they had just won a real title.
What do players win in the NBA Cup?
Winning a pretend title isn't all that's on the line for players in the NBA Cup. They can also win some extra loot, with each player on the championship-winning team receiving $500,000. That may not sound like a lot for guys making upwards for $60 million a year, but it means a lot for the players at the end of the roster.
Even the losing teams get some cash, with players on the NBA Cup runner-ups receiving $200,000 each. Players on the semifinal-losing teams also get $100,000, and just making it out of Group Play earns players $50,000 each.