The NBA May Want Me To Think Tonight Is The Biggest December Basketball Game In Celtics History, But My Brain Still Can't Get There
Brian Babineau. Getty Images.
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Whenever anything new happens in life, people's first instinct is usually to shit all over it. We're usually stuck in our ways and hate the idea of change. Different immediately means bad to some, instead of different just being….different.
When it comes to the NBA we've seen this a few times. The All Star format changes, new alternate jerseys, and in recent seasons the Play In Tournament. Remember how much people used to shit all over the Play In? At times it felt more like a bit, and wouldn't you know that once we lived through it a couple of times it became clear what an awesome idea that actually is.
Once the In Season Tournament idea was announced, you saw a lot of the same type of pushback as the Play In. People immediately shat all over it, refused to even take the time to read what it even was and how it worked, and then complained that it was too confusing. Like the Play In, there wasn't total buy in from players/teams either. Remember when Cuban called it an "enormous mistake"? That didn't really pan out.
We're seeing the same thing with the IST. Players certainly didn't love the whole point differential angle and the whole "respect the game" thing, which was pretty embarrassing. But just like the Play In, the games were awesome. Now having gone through the group stage, there's really no denying that the IST did its job. The games were fun, people cared, people watched, and the league made money. That seems to me like a win for everyone involved.
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To me, there's still one major hurdle that the league has to overcome with this thing, and I feel like I'm not alone in this line of thinking. The Boston Celtics have an opportunity to punch their ticket to Vegas tonight with a win against the Pacers in their knockout round matchup. Making the Final 4 of the first ever In Season Tournament should be a pretty big deal right?
Well…to my brain, I still care way more about what this game means for the Celts' overall record than what it means for their potential advancement in the tournament and I say this as someone who has really enjoyed the IST and thinks it's a good idea!
Now that they have a chance, do I want the Celts to win the whole thing? Hell yeah. Why not? If there's something up for grabs, I would like the Celts to win it. But you know what else I want? I want the Celts to be smart. I don't want them to rush Porzingis back early just for a chance to win the IST. I don't want Joe to get crazy with minutes now that point differential doesn't matter. If the Celts were to lose, I would mostly be upset with what it meant for their current standings in the East rather than the fact they've been eliminated from the IST. It's one of those "oh cool" things if they win and an "OK, whatever" thing if they lose.
I'm not really sure how the league fixes that.
Maybe it's something that will develop over time. Who knows, in 10 years we may all care way more about the IST than we do at this moment in time given that it's so new. But even though I know these games count for "more" than just a normal regular season game, to my brain there isn't even the slightest difference. I want the Celts to win because stacking Ws right now is important for their overall record, I'm not even really thinking of the IST.
Here's what I do know. If the Celts are fortunate enough to win this thing, I certainly hope the plan isn't to raise a banner to the rafters at the Garden. That shit is sacred. When we're talking about Banner 18, we are not talking about an IST banner. If they don't win it, I don't think anyone will be all that heartbroken.
That's what the NBA has to still figure out. How do they overcome that indifference? If the Celts or any of these teams were to flame out early in the postseason, fans are going to have a wildly different reaction. If the Celts don't win the Finals, it's going to haunt me for easily the rest of my life.
I can't exactly say the same for the In Season Tournament.
P.S.
Having said that, they better win it.