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 Tournament. The competitors can be an incredible 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 offers 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 crew of their group as soon as.

The crew in every group with the most effective report will transfer on, together with two wild-card groups to the single-elimination knockout stage. Then, the match will head to Las Vegas for the semi-finals (December 7) and closing (December 9). All match video games can be counted in the direction of every crew’s regular-season report, excluding the championship recreation.

So, what ought to Celtics followers count on from their crew, as they give the impression of being to overcome Adam Silver’s latest creation?

Listed here are a number of predictions:

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The Boston Celtics will win their group

Boston received some excellent news again on July 8. The NBA introduced the teams for the match’s first stage, and the Celtics received a positive 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 seems to be 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 minimize largely because of the contributions of the departed duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant earlier within the yr.

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

With that being stated, 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 share of 0.695 within the 2022-2023 marketing campaign, whereas the opposite 4 groups mixed for a 0.487 successful share.

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The Celtics will make the fanbase sweat

Although the Celtics are clearly the most effective crew within the Jap 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 crew playing down to their competition.

It’s one thing that they did all through the course of final season, in opposition to these groups particularly.

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

Towards the remaining, it wasn’t as fairly:

• 3-1 in opposition to Brooklyn (0-1 in opposition to the Irving/Durant-less group)
• 2-2 in opposition to Chicago
• 1-3 in opposition to Orlando

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

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

Who would be the crew to offer the Cs a wake-up name? Most probably the Magic. Orlando regarded super-comfortable in opposition to Boston final yr. 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 arduous, shedding by simply six at residence.

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

The In-Season Match is not going to solely make the November-December video games extra attention-grabbing for NBA followers, however they’ll be extra intense for the gamers, too — in all probability, so long as they decide they care. It’s but to be seen whether or not or not the $500,000 in prize cash for every participant on the match’s successful crew will function sufficient motivation for that.

That potential of excessive depth video games early within the season could possibly be nice for Joe Mazzulla. Positive, he is aware of what he’s received in Tatum, Brown, Derrick White, Al Horford, and many others. 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 could possibly be answered within the fall, not less than 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 method onto the ground because the postseason went on, however Hauser by no means received 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 stable function all through the common season.

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

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

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

These are the foundations.