What Doc Rivers Thinks about the New NBA In-Season Tournament
The Boston Celtics had been right in the middle of the action in the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament.
That run came to an end on Monday, when the Indiana Pacers upped the tempo to defeat the Celtics 122-112 in the first round of the playoffs.
Boston had previously gone to the quarterfinals after a 27-point victory over the Chicago Bulls, with a superior point differential propelling the Celtics forward.
As players, coaches, and fans adjust to the new competitiveness, characters like former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers have benefited from the increased competition early in the season.
“I do like it,” Rivers said to reporters before being recognized at “The Tradition” at TD Garden on Wednesday. “I was there when it first started.” The idea appealed to me. I believe it will take time. The fact that we’re talking about it indicates that it’s effective.”
The 2008 NBA champion stated that he is not a fan of some of the newer courts, but he is intrigued by how tiebreakers have influenced play styles. Finally, Rivers sees the In-Season Tournament as a long-term positive addition to the NBA season in its inaugural year.
“It was fun, you see guys talking about it,” Rivers added. “You can see certain teams going for it. I think in the long run, it’s great. It’s going to take a bit for the fans to understand it and really enjoy it.”
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Buddy Hield of the Pacers found the perfect way to rub in a win over the Celtics with the smallest buzzer-beater
The Pacers eliminated the Celtics from the NBA’s in-season tournament on Monday night, picking up a win on their home floor, 122–112. Adding salt to the wound of the knockout round victory was Indiana’s Buddy Hield, who drained a meaningless three-pointer as the clock expired to extend the Pacers’ lead from seven to 10. The crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse erupted after Hield’s late three, and the 30-year-old was celebrating with his teammates after sending Boston home from the first-ever in-season tournament.
The Celtics, of course, had not hidden their desire to run up the score during the group stages of the in-season tournament, when point differential could potentially have an impact on a team’s placement in the knockout rounds.
While the margin of victory bears no impact on the Pacers advancing to the next round, Hield didn’t hesitate to pull up for the needless three-pointer. After the game, reporters asked Joe Mazzulla for his thoughts on Hield’s antics. “I don’t care. I could care less,” said Boston’s head coach, via Jay King of The Athletic. During the group stages of the in-season tournament, Mazzulla and Bulls coach Billy Donovan were seen having a heated discussion after the Celtics tactically fouled Andre Drummond during a blowout in order to expand their margin of victory.
Boston was ahead 32 points at the time, and Mazzulla later apologized. It was Hield and the Pacers who got the last laugh in that regard, however, with the sharpshooter draining a petty three-pointer to give Indiana a double-digit lead as time expired.
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