Two games into the group play stage of the NBA Cup, the Celtics are in prime position. They beat the Hornets on Friday night, 119-80, which put them at 2-0 in Group C, with an impressive point differential of +53. Coming into the night, the Wizards were actually leading the group, but they fell to the Hawks, which means they’re now 1-1 in group play.
The Hawks are the only other undefeated team in the group, but this was their first game, so they’re just 1-0 with a +7-point differential. The Wizards dropped to 1-1 with a +9-point differential, the Bulls remain 0-1 with a -14 point differential, and the Hornets are basically eliminated at 0-2 with a -55 point differential.
Celtics have best NBA Cup point differential in the NBA
As things stand, the Celtics are the only team in the entire Eastern Conference at 2-0 in group play, and their +53 margin is the highest in the NBA. Their two remaining games against the Hawks and Wizards will be very important, but those are games that should be winnable. If Boston can take care of business, they’ll win the group and will have a great chance at locking up the top seed and home-court advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The Celtics will finish up group play at Washington on November 24th and host Atlanta on November 27th. Even if they drop one of those games, they would have a very strong chance of advancing as a wild card team, given their point differential, but obviously, winning the group would be highly preferable.
The Cup provides a great early-season test for teams, including the Celtics, who are trying to build some momentum and confidence and get opportunities to play some high-stakes, playoff-like games long before the playoffs roll around. The Celtics have looked good so far, but this is still a group that’s learning to play together, and it would be great to get some do-or-die experience after last season’s playoff letdown.
Knicks established track record of success for NBA Cup champs
Let’s also not forget how important last year’s NBA Cup proved to be, as we saw the Knicks beat the Spurs in the Final, which proved to be a preview of the actual NBA Finals months later. It’s safe to say there was some benefit to this tournament that had a major influence down the stretch.
Who knows if that will become a consistent pattern with the NBA Cup, but it’s safe to say the event has quickly gained a ton of legitimacy, and there’s already a precedent for establishing success in the Cup. It’s not the be-all, end-all, but making a deep run and possibly winning the Cup would be great for this Celtics team and should give them some real juice as a playoff team down the road.
Furthermore, we have to keep pointing out that the NBA Cup Final will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University. It would be a storybook homecoming for Brad Stevens, who would surely love to raise the first-ever Cup banner at the place where he started his run to basketball legend.
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