What is the NBA in-season tournament and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know.
If the Boston Celtics want to prove they're one of the best teams in basketball, they can make quite a statement by winning the first-ever NBA Cup.
The NBA kicked off its inaugural In-Season Tournament in early November, with 30 teams divided into six groups of five (three in the Eastern Conference; three in the Western Conference) to participate in Group Stage action.
The Celtics, who are in Group C along with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, beat Brooklyn handily in their first Group State game on Nov. 10, but they still have a long road ahead of them if they want to reach the semifinals and championship game in Las Vegas.
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See below for Boston's full schedule and results for Group C, followed by a look at the Group C standings, which we'll update after each game.
Celtics' Group C schedule
Boston's four Group Stage games are spread out over a 19-day span from Nov. 10 to Nov. 28. Each contest counts as one of the team's 82 regular-season games. Every game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston.
- Friday, Nov. 10: Celtics 121, Brooklyn Nets 107
- Friday, Nov. 17: Celtics 108, Raptors 105
- Friday, Nov. 24: Magic 113, Celtics 96
- Tuesday, Nov. 28: Celtics 124, Bulls 97
Group C Standings
Each team in Group C will play each other once during Group Stage play. If two teams have the same record in group play, the first two tiebreakers are head-to-head record and point differential. Here are the updated Group C standings:
If the Celtics win Group C or are named the East Wild Card team -- the team with the best record in Group Play that finished second in its group -- they'll advance to the Knockout Rounds. In that scenario, the C's would play either the winner of East Group A or Group B (or the East Wild Card team) in a Quarterfinal game on Dec. 4 or 5. (Click here for East Group A and Group B standings.)
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Here is the schedule for the Knockout Rounds:
- Quarterfinals: Monday, Dec. 4 or Tuesday, Dec. 5 (hosted by higher seed)
- Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 7 (in Las Vegas)
- Championship: Saturday, Dec. 9 (in Las Vegas)
For more details about the In-Season Tournament format, tiebreaker scenarios, prizes and more, check out our complete IST guide here.
