In their nearly eight decades of existence, the Boston Celtics have never used an alternative basketball court, instead relying on their iconic parquet for all games from the preseason to the playoffs. But that will change this season with all 30 teams in the league putting out a new alternate court to use during the NBA’s new in-season tournament according to new reporting from ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
Created so fans can “know instantly they were watching a group stage game” of the tourney, the question driving this development was the league asking “What if we painted the entire court? And what if we did it for all 30 teams, using the same general template?” to get a clear visual marker that the games which will use those courts are in-season tournament games.
“The Celtics — owners of perhaps the most iconic basketball floor in the world — played it fairly traditionally, going with dark green in the bulk of the court and a wood-shaded runway,” writes Lowe.
The Celtics court for the NBA’s Mid-Season Tournament
Will be used during Group Play and the Quarterfinals https://t.co/uocekU6UH3 pic.twitter.com/XYcd4hsNsk
— Cameron Tabatabaie 🎃 (@CTabatabaie) October 30, 2023
“The league is confident most fans will like the floors and that the courts will serve their main purpose,” adds the senior ESPN writer.
The court, linked above, certainly won’t be mistaken for the team’s usual, iconic parquet. But if they end up winning that inaugural competition on it, it may well warm some of the traditionalist holdouts over.
Then again, knowing Celtics fans and their titles-or-bust perspective, maybe not.
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