Older fans of the Boston Celtics know the respect that Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce commanded of his younger teammates while with the the team he won a banner with in 2008. But it may surprise many to hear just how important the Truth was to a young Tony Allen while the Boston guard alum was getting his sea legs at the NBA level.
The Grindfather opened up about how a conversation with Pierce changed his life for the better back in those halcyon days of their playing careers in a recent episode of his “Out The Mud” podcast. Talking with cohost and former NBAer Zach Randolph, the two took a trip back in time to Allen’s early career with the Celtics.
Celtics are in Group C — along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards — and began Group Stage play Tuesday night against the Hawks at TD Garden. While the Celtics fell to Atlanta in a surprising upset, they still have an opportunity to make up ground and advance out of the group stage.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Celtics in the NBA Cup, from how the tournament works to Boston’s Group Stage schedule to up-to-date standings for Group C:
How does the NBA Cup work?
The tournament begins with the Group Stage. All 30 teams will compete in group play, having been placed into six groups of five teams within their conference. Teams face each of their group opponents once for a total of four group play games (two at home and two on the road).
Eight teams advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds: the top team in each of the six groups and a wild-card team in each conference that’s awarded to the second-place finisher with the best overall record.
If two or more teams are tied within a group, the following tiebreakers are used:
- Head-to-head record in group play
- Point differential in group play
- Total points scored in group play
- Record from the 2023-24 NBA regular season
- Random drawing
The knockout rounds begin with quarterfinal games hosted by the higher seed, and then the semifinals and finals, which will be held in Las Vegas.
All Group Stage games count toward teams’ regular-season records. Teams entered the season with only 80 scheduled games, and the 22 teams that don’t advance to the knockout round will play two regular-season games during tournament off nights on Dec. 12/13 and Dec. 15/16. The four teams that lose in the quarterfinals will play a regular-season game on Dec. 15 or 16.
Celtics’ Group C schedule
Boston’s four Group Stage games are spread out over an 18-day span from Nov. 12 to Nov. 29. Every game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Boston.
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