Three way-too-early Celtics predictions for the in-season tournament

There are 79 days till November 3, 2023 — the date that marks the tip-off of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Event. The competitors will likely be an important alternative for the Boston Celtics so as to add one more piece of {hardware}, the “NBA Cup,” to their well-populated trophy cupboard.

The league’s latest product provides the early months of the season a bit extra spice, with all 30 franchises competing to be topped mid-season champions. All through November, groups will compete in six teams of 5, taking part in every group of their group as soon as.

The group in every group with one of the best document will transfer on, together with two wild-card groups to the single-elimination knockout stage. Then, the event will head to Las Vegas for the semi-finals (December 7) and remaining (December 9). All event video games will likely be counted in the direction of every group’s regular-season document, excluding the championship recreation.

So, what ought to Celtics followers count on from their group, as they appear to beat Adam Silver’s latest creation?

Listed below are just a few predictions:

The Boston Celtics will win their group

Boston bought some excellent news again on July 8. The NBA introduced the teams for the event’s first stage, and the Celtics bought a good draw. They’ll be battling with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors for a spot within the knockout stage.

Their schedule for the group stage appears to be like like this:

Friday, Nov. 10: Nets at Celtics, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Friday, Nov. 17: Celtics at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 24: Celtics at Magic, 2:30 p.m., NBA TV

Tuesday, Nov. 28: Bulls at Celtics, 7:30 p.m.

Of the 5 groups within the bunch, solely two of them made the playoffs final season, the Celtics and Nets — who made the reduce largely because of the contributions of the departed duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant earlier within the 12 months.

Will Brooklyn make a return to the postseason this 12 months? Most likely not. Toronto and Chicago? They made the Play-In Event final season however didn’t make any main enhancements — the Raptors even bought worse. Orlando? It’s actually potential as their younger core continues to develop.

With that being mentioned, there’s simply no motive for the Celtics to get bounced within the group stage. There simply isn’t.

They’re head and shoulders above the competitors, with Orlando lurking two-or-three ranges beneath. Boston had a successful proportion of 0.695 within the 2022-2023 marketing campaign, whereas the opposite 4 groups mixed for a 0.487 successful proportion.

The Celtics will make the fanbase sweat

Although the Celtics are clearly one of the best group within the Japanese Convention’s Group C, there’s no assure that they’re going to play prefer it. One fixed of the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown period in Boston has been the group taking part in all the way down to their competitors.

It’s one thing that they did all through the course of final season, towards these groups specifically.

Properly, besides Toronto, who they completely bullied by taking all 4 regular-season conferences.

Towards the remaining, it wasn’t as fairly:

3-1 towards Brooklyn (0-1 towards the Irving/Durant-less group)
2-2 towards Chicago
1-3 towards Orlando

The way in which that this event is about up, there isn’t a ton of room for error within the group stage. If the Celtics need to be on the prime of their group, it implies that they most likely can’t lose greater than as soon as.

It wouldn’t be probably the most surprising factor if Boston examined that principle and dropped a minimum of one in every of their matchups in November.

Who would be the group to offer the Cs a wake-up name? More than likely the Magic. Orlando seemed super-comfortable towards Boston final 12 months. They even took each video games in a Friday-Sunday double-header at TD Backyard in December.

Even within the Celtics’ lone victory the Magic nonetheless fought onerous, shedding by simply six at house.

Joe Mazzulla makes use of In-Season Event as an ‘audition’ for playoff minutes

The In-Season Event won’t solely make the November-December video games extra fascinating for NBA followers, however they’ll be extra intense for the gamers, too — most likely, so long as they determine they care. It’s but to be seen whether or not or not the $500,000 in prize cash for every participant on the event’s successful group will function sufficient motivation for that.

That potential of excessive depth video games early within the season may very well be nice for Joe Mazzulla. Positive, he is aware of what he’s bought in Tatum, Brown, Derrick White, Al Horford, and so forth. However newcomers like Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, and maybe Dalano Banton are extra of a thriller.

How will they carry out when the lights are shiny? Can opposing groups recreation plan to use them? Can Mazzulla belief them in massive spots?

These are all questions that may very well be answered within the fall, a minimum of a bit bit.

Check out final season’s playoff rotations. Each Grant Williams and Sam Hauser noticed their minutes diminish as a result of Mazzulla wasn’t certain he may belief them. Williams finally discovered his manner onto the ground because the postseason went on, however Hauser by no means bought a lot of an opportunity to show himself. His sub-three minutes per recreation within the 2021-2022 run wasn’t sufficient to earn the favor of his coach, regardless of having a strong position all through the common season.

If there had been an In-Season Event final fall, possibly Mazzulla would’ve given Hauser extra burn within the postseason, particularly contemplating Boston couldn’t purchase a 3 within the Japanese Convention Finals.

On the finish of the day, followers ought to get pleasure from this new expertise. Take pleasure in watching video games that sort of matter in November.

Keep in mind, this event is barely significant if the Celtics win it. If not, it’s simply merely Mickey Mouse.

These are the principles.