NBA unveils special new Celtics court for in-season tournament
The NBA is giving each team – including the Boston Celtics – a new floor for this year’s in-season tournament. here’s a look at the court.
Dec 17, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen before their game against the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden. Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY SportsThis year features the first ever in-season tournament in the NBA. While the event has been met with a range of reactions, the league is clearly going all-out to make it special for the teams and the fans.
One differentiator for the tournament was announced on Monday. Each team will have a special floor design it will use for the tournament games. Across the league all the floor designs follow a similar pattern with colored wood and a stripe down the middle and the in-season tournament trophy in the middle, but feature little details unique to each team.
"The courts, which will be used for Group Play and the Quarterfinals, showcase a bold and distinctive design scheme league-wide, making it instantly clear to fans when a game carries NBA In-Season Tournament implications," the league shared on NBA.com." The unified look represents the first time that the league has implemented an alternate court for all 30 teams and the first time that any NBA team has played on a fully painted court with no woodgrain details. This will also mark the first time that the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers will play on an alternate court in the history of the franchises."
As mentioned there, this will be the first time the Celtics play a home game on a floor other than their iconic parquet. The Celtics' floor is dark green with a tan stripe down the middle. An alternate 'Celtics' wordmark sits at halfcourt, above Red Auerbach's signature and Bill Russell's No. 6.
The first of the new NBA courts will debut this Friday when play in the in-season tournament begins. Boston won't see the Celtics' new court until Nov. 10, when the C's host the Brooklyn Nets in the first of four Group Play games in the month.
Introduced this season, the in-season tournament was added by the NBA to add more meaning to regular season games. Teams were split up into six groups of five for Group Stage play, leading up to a final single-elimination tournament with four teams from each conference (the three group winners and the second-place team with the best record). All in-season tournament games will count towards regular season records with the exception of the championship.
For this first year the Celtics are in Group C in the Eastern Conference. They're joined by the Nets, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Chicago Bulls. The five teams combine for the highest collective 2022-2023 season winning percentage of any group in the tournament.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.
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Mazz’s Tiers: NBA Power Rankings
It's time for the latest Mazz's Tiers! With the NBA kicking off this week, Mazz gives his NBA power rankings to start the 2023-24 NBA season!
But Before the tiers, here's some info to know about the upcoming NBA season!
The Denver Nuggets will look to become the first team to repeat as NBA Champions since the Golden State Warriors did it in the 2017 and 2018 playoffs.
The Boston Celtics will look to win their third consecutive Atlantic Division Title during their 2023-24 campaign.
The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers each enter the season with 17 championships, the most among NBA franchises. The Celtics last title came during the 2007-08 season and the Lakers last tile cam during the 2019-20 season.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers will look to become the third consecutive player to repeat as the league's Most Valuable Player. Nikola Jokic (2020-21 & 2021-22) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (2018-19 & 2019-20) each won back to back MVP's prior to Embiid winning the MVP last season.
The Charlotte Hornets currently have the longest playoff drought in the NBA. The Hornets have missed the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons.
The Boston Celtics currently have the longest playoff streak in the NBA. The Celtics have made the playoffs in nine consecutive seasons.
For the first time in league history, the NBA will host an "In-Season Tournament".
Russell Westbrook will look to become the first player in NBA history to record 200 Triple-Doubles. Westbrook has 198 Triple-Doubles in his career.
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard entered the season 624 points away from joining the 20,000 point club. If he reaches the mark this season he will be the 51st player in NBA history to reach the 20,000 point mark.
Ten current teams enter the season having never won an NBA Finals. The ten teams are: Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Tier 1
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 25: Jrue Holiday #4 of the Boston Celtics celebrates a shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 25, 2023 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Denver Nuggets
Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns
Tier 2
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 23: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers posts up against Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 23, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
Tier 3
Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesMASSACHUSETTS - MAY 09: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles against Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of game five of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at TD Garden on May 09, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
New York Knicks
Dallas Mavericks
Philadelphia 76ers
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Tier 4
Harry How/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 02: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans scores on a layup past Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 120-117 Lakers win at Crypto.com Arena on November 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Cleveland Cavaliers
New Orleans Pelicans
Minnesota Timberwolves
Tier 5
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - OCTOBER 25: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs attempts a shot over Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks during the NBA game at Frost Bank Center on October 25, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 126-119. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Indiana Pacers
Charlotte Hornets
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets
Detroit Pistons
Atlanta Hawks
Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Houston Rockets
