It seems like every summer, the NBA’s release of its Emirates NBA Cup schedule comes as a pleasant surprise. Their decision to drop it on the first night of free agency was… well, a choice, but nonetheless, I’m here for it.
This season, the Boston Celtics will be in the Eastern Conference’s Group C -- perhaps the conference’s easiest group??
It’ll be Boston, the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards battling it out for a chance at the knockout stages.
It might be the #Celtics year in #TheCup https://t.co/l3EnzTHi5r
— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) July 1, 2026
Of the Celtics’ group mates, the only other team to have made the playoffs this past season was Atlanta, who fell to the New York Knicks in Round 1. The Hornets, Bulls, and Wizards all found themselves rooting for ping pong balls instead.
As much as these teams’ logos will instinctively tell us that they’re bad, every team except Chicago probably took strides towards forward this summer. Washington will have added No. 1 overall pick A.J. Dybansta who will play alongside Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Charlotte will look to build on an exciting season, despite trading LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Atlanta had a strong close to the 2026 season and brought in a strong draft class at last week’s NBA Draft.
The Celtics will look to outduel these squads on Cup nights throughout October and November. Games will run each Friday from Oct. 30 through Nov. 20, then the final week of group play will feature matchups on Nov. 24, 25, and 27.
Should the Cs emerge from the group, either as the group winner or as the East’s strongest non-group-winner, they’ll play a Quarterfinal Round game on either Dec. 4 or 5, then a Semifinal Round game on Dec. 8 or 9, then in the Cup Final on Dec. 11.
It would be a treat for Brad Stevens if the Celtics won the NBA Cup at Butler University
That Cup Final seems to already be calling Boston’s name. For the first time in the competition’s history, its champion won’t be crowned in Las Vegas. This year, the league announced that the title decider will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Hinkle serves as home to the Butler Bulldogs, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens’ former stomping grounds. Stevens led the Bulldogs to a 166-49 record over six years at the helm from 2007-2013. Butler made five NCAA Tournament appearances under Stevens, making the National Championship Game twice.
“Hinkle Fieldhouse offers a special setting to capture the excitement and drama of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship,” said NBA Head of Global Events, Kelly Flatow in Tuesday’s press release. “Playing the Championship in an iconic basketball environment like this will further establish it as a signature moment on the NBA calendar.”
It would certainly be surreal for Stevens to see his Celtics hoist the Cup at Butler.
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