The Boston Celtics began play in the 2024 NBA Cup on Tuesday, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla did not find himself any more excited for the NBA Cup than for any of the team's other regular season games. While the Celtics temporarily revamped their home court into Kelly Green and gold to bring in the spirit of the tournament, that spirit has not transferred to Mazzulla.
The NBA has been building up the second edition of its in-season tournament, but Mazzulla believes it will feel more meaningful if it did not take place during the middle of the NBA regular season.
“I like the idea that you see it around the world,” Mazzulla said, via Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “I think the best way to, in my opinion, make it more impactful, is to move it away from the 82-game schedule, so it’s not just a regular-season game. It’s something different.
“You see the other tournaments around the world, they don’t count towards your domestic league, it’s its own league entirely. And so that, to me, is my only negative towards it. I like it. I think having something like that in the middle of the season is good, especially for a long year — just that’s the difference between what we do here and what you do around the world.”
The Celtics started the NBA Cup with a 117-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, just their third loss of the season. Boston will continue play in the NBA next Tuesday when they take on the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics have group-stage games against the Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls to determine if they will advance to the knockout rounds.
During the inaugural in-season tournament in 2023, the Celtics advanced to the quarterfinals but lost to the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics did go on to win the NBA Finals at the end of the season.
While the NBA Cup doesn't hold tremendous meaning to Mazzulla, winning the Cup can give players a $500,000 bonus, a key motivation for many across the league.
