Boston Celtics Headline East Group C in NBA's New In-Season Tournament

On Saturday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed the details for the league’s inaugural in-season tournament. Similar to FIFA’s World Cup, the tournament will consist of a preliminary group stage and knockout rounds.

NBA IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT EXPLAINED 🎥

Starting Nov. 3, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing into the knockout rounds! The tournament semis and championship game will be held in Las Vegas, Dec. 7 and 9! pic.twitter.com/NZdURUa3XR
— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2023

The Boston Celtics are favorites to advance from East Group C, which also includes the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic. During the 2022-2023 regular season, with a 57-25 record, the Celtics finished as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.

The tournament starts on November 3rd and concludes with a championship game on December 9th. In addition to hoisting the NBA Cup, each player of the winning team will receive $500,000 in prize money.

As anticipated, the new competition has been the subject of criticism. A prominent reason is its lack of incentives.

The pool of prize money is relatively low when considering salaries of the league’s top stars. For instance, Jayson Tatum is set to earn approximately $32 million for the 2023-2024 season.

While the league will announce an In-Season Tournament MVP and select an All-Tournament team, the honors hold minimal prestige at this time. The more substantial goal is still winning an NBA championship, followed by full-season-based awards and All-Star Game selections.

A positive aspect, in terms of competition, is that the tournament’s games, not counting the championship, will be factored into regular season standings. This alone, however, seems insufficient in establishing importance behind the event.

Some solutions to generate more excitement include providing the winning team with a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. Presumably, the winning team should qualify for the playoffs on their own merit but the league could also incentivize a guaranteed spot.

Further Reading

Oshae Brissett on Joining Celtics: 'I Just Want to Go Win'

3 Up, 3 Down from Celtics' Summer League Opener vs. Heat

Marcus Smart Reflects on His Time with Celtics: 'I Left Everything I Had'

Evaluating Celtics' Options in Free Agency

Celtics Sign Second-Round Pick Jordan Walsh

Celtics Reportedly Not Pursuing Damian Lillard

Celtics Losing Grant Williams in Sign-and-Trade Demonstrates Intention of NBA's New CBA

NBA Insider Says Multi-Team Deal Could Get Damian Lillard to the Heat

The Latest on Celtics' Negotiations with Jaylen Brown

Brad Stevens Discusses Difficult Decision to Trade Marcus Smart: 'He'll Always Have Boston'

Celtics Sign Forward Oshae Brissett