The Boston Celtics have officially been eliminated from the 2024 NBA Cup, falling short in their bid to reach the tournament’s knockout stage. Their aspirations were thwarted on Tuesday night in dramatic fashion. The Celtics needed a perfect storm of events to secure the Eastern Conference wild card spot, requiring either the Orlando Magic to defeat the New York Knicks or the Knicks to win by 38 or more points. Additionally, they relied on the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Detroit Pistons by at least six points or for the Pistons to win by seven.
While Milwaukee met their obligation with a decisive 128-107 win over Detroit, Orlando could not follow suit, losing 121-106 to New York. This outcome resulted in the Knicks clinching Group A with an unblemished 4-0 record in Group Play. The Magic secured the East wild card based on a positive point differential of +45, serving as a tiebreaker. The Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks ended up tied for the best record in East Group C at 3-1; however, the Hawks won the tiebreak after defeating the Celtics on November 12.
With their elimination, the Celtics will be sidelined from the upcoming knockout round, which starts on December 10. However, the team will not remain idle; they have two regular-season games pending, slated for December 12 or 13 and another for December 15 or 16, with details on locations and opponents yet to be revealed.
Looking ahead, the Celtics will be back on the court to face the Pistons this Wednesday evening, with the matchup set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET, broadcasted on NBC Sports Boston. While this setback is disappointing, it offers the Celtics valuable time to regroup and refocus their efforts on the regular season, aiming for future opportunities to showcase their talent and compete for the championship.
This season still holds promise for the Celtics as they prepare to bounce back and continue their pursuit of success in the NBA.