Celtics

Celtics opponents announced in 2024 NBA Cup, formerly the In-Season Tournament

Boston will face the Bulls, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Wizards in the group stage of the tournament.

By Kaley Brown

July 12, 2024

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After getting eliminated in the quarterfinals last season, the Celtics will look to advance further in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup this year.

Originally called the NBA In-Season Tournament in its inaugural season in 2023, the NBA Cup will consist of three groups each in the Eastern and Western Conference. Every group is comprised of five teams; each team will play the other teams in their group once beginning on Nov. 12.

One winner will emerge from every group once the group stage ends, plus one wild card team from each conference, to a knockout round (a single-elimination tournament). The quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals will progress afterward. 

The NBA announced that the semifinals will take place on Dec. 14 with the championship game slated for Dec. 17 in Las Vegas.

In the tournament’s second installment, Boston was placed in Group C, the league revealed Friday. The other four teams in the reigning NBA champions’ group are the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards.

Last year, the Celtics won their group and advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament Finals.

On a related note, Boston finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 64-18 record en route to their 18th NBA championship last month. This indicates that the Celtics shouldn’t have much trouble winning Group C again this coming season and have a real shot at winning the NBA Cup.

There’s only one team in Boston’s group that finished with a record above .500 last season: the Cavaliers (48-34). The Celtics faced Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and eliminated them in five games in May.

The Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record, followed by the Hawks’ 36-46 and the Wizards’ 35-47 dismal seasons.

Needless to say, Boston has a good chance of winning the NBA Finals and NBA Cup in the same year.