The NBA’s In-Season Tournament is flawed, but the knockout round and the final four in Las Vegas haven’t arrived yet, and it’s already a success.
A wild Tuesday in the Association, with the significance of point differential as a tiebreaker keeping fans engaged in matchups across the league, regardless of the score, reinforced that.
A prime example was the Boston Celtics blowing out the Chicago Bulls but bringing their starters back in during the fourth quarter of their 124-97 victory.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla even called for his team to intentionally foul Bulls’ center Andre Drummond, sending a poor free-throw shooter to the line, where he missed both attempts.
And with the Brooklyn Nets, who entered Tuesday with a +8 point-differential while Boston was at zero in that category, beating the Toronto Raptors 115-103, the Celtics punched their ticket to the quarterfinals of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.
A day in advance of their matchup against the Indiana Pacers in the knockout round, the only player on the C’s injury report is Kristaps Porzingis. The seven-foot-three center remains out due to a left calf strain he suffered during Boston’s 113-96 loss to the Orlando Magic the day after Thanksgiving.
Monday’s game between the Celtics and Pacers will tip off at 7:30 EST at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the contest before, during, and afterward. Follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Leave a Reply