Wednesday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons is the Emirates NBA Cup Group Stage finale for the Boston Celtics. After opening group play with a narrow win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cs dropped two straight cup games against the Orlando Magic and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets loss hit like a ton of bricks. Dropping an important (depending on how you feel about the In-Season Tournament) game like that to an awful team was not only shocking, but essentially ended the Celtics’ hopes of advancing to the competition’s knockout stage.
Their 1-2 NBA Cup record has them slotted at fourth place in Group B. Boston also has the group’s worst point differential at -20.
It’s safe to say that there’s little chance that the Cs play any more Cup games this season beyond Wednesday. However, there is a path for them to move on, or at least have a chance to do so on Friday, when the final group stage games are played.
The Celtics are cooked
The NBA released survival scenarios for all teams on the brink of elimination on Tuesday. Boston’s consists of a win over the Pistons, a loss by the Atlanta Hawks, and then at least one loss between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
Let’s go piece by piece and investigate how likely each outcome is.
Celtics beat Pistons
The Celtics haven’t been the same, dominant team that they’ve been in years past, but they’re also not bad. At 9-8 through 17 games, with a top 10 net rating, they can beat anyone on any given night. They’ve also shown that they can lose to anyone (see Nets loss).
Anyway, Detroit enters the matchup riding a 13-game winning streak. They’re currently first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 15-2, which is second-best in the NBA behind the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
A Celtics win isn’t impossible, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Hawks lose to Wizards
If you’re relying on a Washington Wizards win -- at all -- you know you’re in a difficult place. The Wizards are losers of 14 straight games, giving them a 1-15 record on the season -- worst in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has looked solid in Trae Young’s absence, claiming wins in seven of their last 10 games.
If I had to pick one of the elimination scenarios to guarantee, this would be the one.
Knicks lose to Hornets
Much like the above, this is an unlikely outcome. The Hornets aren’t as pathetic as the Wizards, but they’re close. Entering Wednesday’s meeting with the Knicks, they’ve only won one of their last 10 games.
Meanwhile, New York is playing good ball as of late. They’re 7-3 in their last 10 games and simply have far more talent than the Hornets do.
This probably isn’t happening, but again, it’s more likely that Charlotte gets a win than Washington does.
Bucks beat Heat
I mean, you really couldn’t pick a worse trio of teams for the Celtics to have to rely on. Milwaukee was off to a respectable start this season before star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt his groin. Since his injury, the Bucks have dropped five straight games, falling to 3-7 in their last 10.
Miami has won just as many in a row, which has them slotted at third in the East.
Simply put, it’s Joever.