The Boston Celtics are through to the knockout stage of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Boston secured their place by defeating the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday (Nov. 28.) However, the topic of point differential, and hunting for baskets when the game is already won once again became a topic.
The Celtics had secured a win over the Bulls but had to keep looking for their offense as they looked to chase down a 22-point deficit in their group. As you would expect, that type of mentality can ruffle some feathers, the same way it did when the Orlando Magic kept pushing their offense in their recent win over Boston.
Following the Celtics victory, Jaylen Brown shared his thoughts on the in-season tournament, and the additional competition it’s brought to the NBA in late November.
“Personally, I don’t really have a comment on it,” Brown said. “I think the agenda has been to increase competition, to increase revenue, to kind of make it more exciting during this time of year. But I don’t have a comment. But I will say that, honestly, there’s a line between increasing [all of that] and compromising the ethics of the game. It’s a balance. This is kind of the first that we’ve seen this. I’m sure there will be a lot of conversations going around that will get to some decisions.”
Jaylen Brown on the In-Season Tournament and the changes that have come with it (new courts, point differential, etc.):
"Personally, I don't really have a comment on it. I think the agenda has been to increase competition, to increase revenue, to kind of make it more exciting…
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) November 29, 2023
There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the in-season tournament’s point differential, with multiple players discussing their concerns in regards to respecting the game and operating with class.
As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see some alterations made to the format in future seasons, especially if it can continue getting players to buy in and increase the popularity of the league at a notoriously slow point of the season.
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