Joe Mazzulla’s take on the in-season tournament: Heading into Tuesday night’s Celtics-Bulls matchup as part of the NBA’s new in-season tournament, Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the peculiar circumstances his team might end up facing.
In order to advance from Group C, the Celtics (2-1 so far in the group stage) need help: Boston requires a win from the Nets against the Raptors, and must beat the Bulls by at least 23 points.
The reason for the latter requirement is a point differential tiebreaker system.
The idea of having to potentially run up the score in a game against another NBA opponent is an unfamiliar concept for coaches and players.