The NBA Cup returns for the second year on Tuesday, November 12th. The first year of the tournament was by all accounts a success; it added some extra excitement to the regular season and gave us some great moments. This year should be more of the same. As a refresher, the tournament is broken up into two stages: group play and knockout rounds. For the group play portion, teams are broken up into six groups of five teams each team plays each other once. From there, the winner of each group and one wildcard from each conference enters the knockout round of the tournament, with the semifinals and finals taking place in Las Vegas.
After winning the NBA Championship in June, the Boston Celtics are looking to continue their dominance by winning the NBA Cup. Last year, the Celtics lost to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the knockout stage. Nevertheless, the Celtics’ incredible talent and dominance give them a good chance to win the tournament this time. The Celtics are in East Group C. Let’s examine and rank the four teams in Boston’s group.
Presenting East Group C for the #EmiratesNBACup!
Starting November 12, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 14 and 17! pic.twitter.com/R7AnifxTND
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Ranking the Celtics 4 NBA Cup Opponents
4. Washington Wizards
The Wizards are in the midst of a rebuild and one of the youngest teams in the league. They have three rookies, Alex Sarr, Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington, and Kyshawn George, along with second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly, who is having a breakout season. The Wizards also have Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, who give them a nice scoring punch. While the future is bright in Washington, they are in the early stages of their rebuild and are 2-6 on the season. Earlier in the season, Boston defeated the Wizards 122-102. Expect more of the same when the two teams play again on November 22nd.
Aside from the Wizards’ lack of experience and the Celtics’ clear talent advantage, Washington’s 28th-ranked defense will be a big factor in this matchup. The Celtics have the third-ranked offense; this will allow them to build an early lead. Furthermore, the Wizards give up the fourth most made three-pointers in the league, while the Celtics make the most threes. These factors set the Celtics up for a blowout win. Considering the importance of point differential in the NBA Cup, a group-stage game against Washington could benefit the Celtics later in the tournament.
3. Chicago Bulls
The Celtics find themselves in the same group as the Bulls for the second straight year. Over the offseason, the Bulls lost DeMar DeRozan and traded Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey. The new-look Bulls have jumped from 28th to first in pace. They also have jumped from 28th to fifth in three-pointers made. Coby White and Zach LaVine have spearheaded this new style of play.
On paper, this pace-and-space style should allow the Bulls to match up better with the Celtics. However, the Bulls’ lack of size and wings makes them a poor match-up for the Celtics. While matching up with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown is difficult for most teams, it will be particularly challenging for the Bulls. Additionally, the 4-6 Bulls are aiming to keep their top-10 protected pick and are simply a far less talented squad than the Celtics. When these two squads face off on November 29th, expect the Celtics to handily take care of Chicago.
2. Atlanta Hawks
The Celtics’ first game of the NBA Cup will be against the Hawks on Tuesday, November 12th. Boston beat the Hawks 123-93 in their first matchup of the season. However, the Hawks notably upset the Celtics twice last year and typically play them close. The Hawks have a new-look roster around Trae Young with an emphasis on big wings. Jalen Johnson is having a breakout season, averaging 19.1 points and 10 rebounds. First-overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher has made solid contributions as a two-way wing despite low efficiency. While the Hawks have improved their wing play, the Celtics still have a clear advantage with Tatum and Brown. The size and defense of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White also give the Celtics an advantage over Young, who was held to 1-10 shooting in the first matchup of the season.
However, the biggest advantage the Celtics have is their elite offense compared to the Hawk’s poor defense. Atlanta has the league’s 27th-ranked defense and ranks dead last for three-point defense. Notably, the Hawks give up the most threes per game (41.9), while teams shoot the highest percentage against them (39.9). The Celtics rank first in three-point attempts and makes by a sizable margin, Boston’s historic shooting will be a particular advantage in this matchup.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are off to the best start in the NBA with an 11-0 record; they are the only remaining undefeated team. Under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs have the league’s best offense, which is a significant upgrade from last season’s 16th-ranked offense. This will help the Cavs compete with Boston’s offensive firepower. Cleveland has a dynamic backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, along with an imposing frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. As a result, the Cavs have an ideal combination of perimeter scoring and frontcourt defense.
The Cavs’ two-way excellence and frontcourt size make them a challenging matchup. Last year, the Celtics beat the Cavs in the second round of the playoffs in five games. However, they were without Mitchell for part of the series, and the Cavs are clearly a different team with Kenny Atkinson at the helm. Given their strong start to the season and other team’s slower starts, the Cavs could be Boston’s biggest threat in the East. Expect a highly competitive game when the Celtics play the Cavs on November 19th.
The Last Word
Ultimately, the Celtics have one of the easier NBA Cup groups and should have no problem making it to the knockout rounds. The Cavs clearly pose the biggest threat to the Celtics in the group stage and could feasibly win the group. Even in this scenario, the Celtics would likely earn a wildcard spot in the knockout stage, especially considering how point differential is valued in the NBA Cup.
The post Ranking the Celtics 4 NBA Cup Opponents appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.