BOSTON — NBA Cup and colorful courts They are officially back for the second season in a row. The first group matches of the league’s in-season tournament were played on Tuesday. From now until December 3, NBA Cup group matches will be played every Tuesday and Friday in the league.

However, the Celtics We lost a surprise to the Hawks to open group play on Tuesday. They have three more games remaining in East Group C: November 19 against the Cavaliers, November 22 against the Wizards, and November 29 against the Bulls. So not only did they lose their NBA Cup opener, but the C’s are actually at a slight disadvantage due to the schedule.

There is an oddity in the timing that the last game of East Group C will be played between the Wizards and Cavaliers on December 3. The other three teams secured their rankings by completing their four group matches before this date. So if the Cavs are in a position where they need a specific outcome, such as outscoring the Wizards by a certain percentage, they are in an advantageous position to target that specific outcome. Of course, there are still a lot of games on the schedule, so anything can happen. But pay attention to this planning decision to see if it matters in the grand scheme of the group.

The Celtics took advantage of this scenario last season. On the final day of bracket play, the C’s needed a few results to achieve their goals: beating the Bulls by at least 23 points and the Nets beating the Raptors. Both results came as the Celtics chase points against the Bulls. These results led to the Cs winning their group and advancing to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage. This left Magic watching from home as he missed the next stage.

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The Celtics took advantage of this last season because they knew exactly what they needed in their final group game. Magic, on the other hand, had to sit at home and hope the results went their way. Of course, the Magic could take care of business and win all their games. However, no one in the group could win 4-0 and the Celtics managed to gain points. Like fouling Andre Drummond getting him to the free throw line and getting more positions. The Magic didn’t have the same opportunity, but they were chasing points after a blowout win by the Celtics last season. But that’s not the same as knowing exactly what they need going into the final game of group play.

This is a side effect since the NBA divides groups into five teams, as one team per group sits at home on the final day of group play. Interestingly, this is true for all groups except Eastern Group C. All other groups play two games on the final day of group play, but only one such game is scheduled in East Group C: Wizards at Cavs. There’s a reason why the FIFA World Cup plays the last match of group play at the same time; This way teams don’t work together if they both need a certain result to advance to the group.

After the loss to the Hawks, the Celtics are no longer in control of their own destiny in the group stages. But they have a chance to get to 3-1 by winning the rest of their group games, but the Hawks will have to go with a score of 2-2 or worse. In an alternative scenario, there could be another three-way tie in the group standings and the Celtics could come out ahead like last season. Now when it comes to advancing to the knockout stages, there are at least a few more factors to consider for the C’s to advance.

The NBA Cup adds a different element to the regular season because of the point difference portion of the tiebreaker. Normally, teams do not chase points in the regular season or playoffs as long as they can guarantee a win. However, group play encourages teams to increase the score as much as possible.

There is a side effect where teams don’t move all together for the entire match for some reason. This is why teams empty their benches as part of big plays in the fourth quarter. So it’s a balance between increasing the point differential but not wanting your starters to get injured.

Regardless, the teams appear to be more prepared for the NBA Cup this season. Last year, this was a new idea and an in-season tournament was implemented for the first time in the league. So there was some confusion in the rules, As C’s coach Joe Mazzulla explains to Bulls coach Billy Donovan Why his team fouled Drummond last year as part of the blowout.

But more importantly, participation in the tournament is higher. The intensity of the single-elimination tournament creates excitement. In addition, young teams will want this stage to gain valuable experience. Look no further than the Pacers, who made a run to the tournament finals last season and then rode that momentum to the East Finals. Although it’s a new product that needs some ironing out of wrinkles, the idea itself seems solid going forward.