Celtics’ In-Season Tournament Qualification Hanging in Balance, as Things Could Get Ugly for Bulls in TD Garden

The absence of Lonzo Ball from the Bulls lineup is felt heavy as Chicago enters tonight’s in-season clash, losing seven of their last eight games and all three of the tourney matchups. This means their dream of heading to Vegas to contend for the NBA Cup is long lost. They will now face the Celtics at TD Garden to try to break out of their rut. However, that might be nearly impossible for the young talent in Chicago with so much on the line for the Celtics. The C’s are currently placed 2nd in East Group C with 2 wins and 1 loss and would be desperate for a win to qualify for the quarterfinal knockout round.

However, a mere win would not be enough to help them secure a quarterfinal berth. They’ll need more than that if they are to qualify. Hence, things might get ugly for the already-struggling Bulls tonight.

The Boston Celtics need to win big tonight

Even if the Boston Celtics clinch a win against the Chicago Bulls, it might not be enough to help the team advance to the in-season tournament. The C’s will need to secure a blowout win against the Bulls by more than 22 points if they are to finish first in the group. Orlando Magic has already played their four in-season games and now sits in first place with a 3-1 record and 22-point differential. Despite a win tonight, the in-season tiebreaker rules might hinder the Celtics’ chances to qualify.

The top two tiebreakers are head-to-head in record and point differential. But with Magic beating the Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets claiming a victory over Magic, and the Boston Celtics sweeping the Nets, it all comes down to one thing: point differential. Therefore, Boston needs to win by at least a wide margin of 23 points to truly get past Orlando (+22) and the Nets (+7).

However, one catch is that the Nets are also 2-1 but with a better point differential (+7). Therefore, first place in the group can be guaranteed only if Brooklyn loses to the Toronto Raptors or wins by a slight margin tonight.

Can the Celtics qualify as a wild-card team from the East?

If the Boston Celtics fail to win by such a wide margin, there is one more way for them to qualify. Joe Mazzulla’s team is fighting four teams for a wild card spot: the New York Knicks (2-1, +18), the Miami Heat (2-1, +11), the Nets (2-1, +7), and the Cavaliers (2-1, +6). To enter the knockout stage as the 4th best team, Boston will need the Knicks, Heat, Nets, and Cavs to lose their matchups in a blowout fashion on Tuesday. Although highly unlikely, this is the only way they can qualify if they fail to secure a blowout win tonight. They can also qualify if they finish second in East Group C. They’ll need to, however, win the tiebreaker against all second-place teams with a 3-1 record.

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The last time the Bulls were struggling with such a losing record, the Celtics overpowered them by 56 points in 2018. With so much at stake tonight, we might see a repeat of that game. What are your predictions for tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments!

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