BOSTON — The NBA Cup and its colorful courts are officially back for a second straight season. Tuesday marked the first games of group play for the league’s in-season tournament. From now until Dec. 3, there will be NBA Cup group play games going on across the league every Tuesday and Friday.
The Celtics, though, lost a stunner to the Hawks on Tuesday to open group play. They have three more games left against East Group C: Nov. 19 against the Cavaliers, Nov. 22 at the Wizards and Nov. 29 at the Bulls. So not only did they lose their NBA Cup opener, but due to the schedule, the C’s are actually at a subtle disadvantage.
In a scheduling quirk, the final game of East Group C is scheduled for Dec. 3 between the Wizards and Cavaliers. The other three teams finish their four group play games ahead of then, locking their standings. So, if the Cavs are in a position where they need a certain result — like outscoring the Wizards by a certain amount — they’re in an advantageous position where they can aim for that specific result. Sure, there are still plenty of games left on the schedule, so anything can happen. But keep an eye on that scheduling decision to see if it matters in the grand scheme of the group.
The Celtics were beneficiaries of this scenario just last season. On the final day of group play, the C‘s needed a couple results to go their way: Beat the Bulls by at least 23 points and a Nets win over the Raptors. Both results happened as the Celtics also chased points against the Bulls. Those results led to the C’s winning their group to advance to the quarterfinals of the knockout stage. That left the Magic watching from home as they missed out on the next stage.
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The Celtics benefited last season because they knew exactly what they needed going into their final group play game. On the flip side, the Magic were forced to sit at home and hope the results went their way. Sure, the Magic could’ve taken care of business and won all their games. But nobody went 4-0 in the group, and the Celtics were able to chase points, like fouling Andre Drummond to get him to the free throw line and getting more possessions. The Magic didn‘t have that same opportunity, though they did chase points at the end of their blowout Celtics win last season. But it’s not the same as knowing exactly what they need going into the final game of group play.
Since the NBA splits up the groups into five teams each, this is a side effect since one team per group is left sitting at home on the final day of group play. Interestingly, that’s the case for every group except East Group C. All other groups have two games played on the final day of group play, but East Group C only has one such game scheduled, the Wizards at Cavs game. There’s a reason why the FIFA World Cup plays the final game of group play at the same time, that way teams aren’t working together if they both need a certain result to happen to advance to the bracket.
After the Hawks loss, the Celtics no longer control their destiny in group play. But there is a chance they win out the rest of their group play games to get to 3-1, though they‘ll need the Hawks to go 2-2 or worse. In an alternate scenario, there could again be a three-way tie atop the group standings and the Celtics advance, just like last season. There are at least a few more factors now to consider for the C’s going forward when it comes to advancing to the knockout stages.
The NBA Cup adds a different element to the regular season due to the point differential part of the tiebreaker. Normally, teams aren’t chasing points during the regular season or playoffs as long as they can secure the victory. But group play incentivizes teams to run up the score as much as possible.
There is the side effect where teams don’t go all-out, all-game for a reason. It’s why teams empty their benches as part of blowout games in the fourth quarter. So there’s a balance of upping the point differential but not wanting to get your starters injured.
Regardless, teams appear more prepared for the NBA Cup this season. Last year, it was a new idea and the first time the league implemented the in-season tournament. So there was some confusion on rules, like C’s coach Joe Mazzulla explaining to Bulls coach Billy Donovan last year why his team was fouling Drummond as part of a blowout.
But, importantly, there’s more buy-in across the board for the tourney. The intensity of a single-elimination tournament builds up hype. Plus, young teams are going to want that stage to gain valuable experience. Look no further than the Pacers last season who made a run to the tourney finals then used that momentum to get all the way to the East Finals. So while it’s a new product that will need some smoothing out the wrinkles, the idea itself looks solid going forward.
