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Celtics begin NBA Cup games with Hawks

When the NBA's first regular-season tournament took place last year, there was confusion about the format and uncertainty about how interested teams would actually be in the event.

On the outside, the Celtics mostly shrugged their shoulders and said they were focused on winning the bigger championship, a goal they eventually achieved. But in their tournament group game final against the Bulls last November, they also made it clear that they wanted to win the thing.

They had to beat Chicago by at least 23 points to reach the tiebreaker and advance to the quarterfinals. When they had a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter, they continued to intentionally foul the Bulls' big man Andrew Drummonda poor free throw shooter.

The Celtics won 124-97 and managed enough to advance to the quarterfinals, where they were ousted by the Pacers. But now they're back for another shot at the slightly revamped event, now called the NBA Cup. Boston opened group play against the Hawks on Tuesday.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he welcomes the chance to try to win something, but he would rather see the format mimic European soccer, where in-season tournaments tend to be stand-alone events rather than part of the regular season schedule.

“They’re not part of the domestic league,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a league all its own. That's the only downside to it for me. I like it. I think having something like this in the middle of the season is good, especially in a long year. That's simply the difference between what you do here and what you do around the world. But it's a chance for us to win something, a chance for us to strive for something. So we’re going to look at it from that perspective.”

In addition to the Hawks, the Celtics' Group C also includes the Cavaliers, Bulls and Wizards. The winner of each of the six groups reaches the quarterfinals along with two wildcard participants. So is Mazzulla more excited about these duels than the others?

“No, they’re all the same,” he said. “We have 82 of them, we have to play them all. I feel the same enthusiasm for everyone.”

Celtics are giving away a ring

It turns out you don't necessarily have to be an NBA champion to get a title ring. The Celtics are holding a raffle for a scaled-down version of their championship ring, with the Shamrock Foundation using the proceeds to benefit communities in need. Tickets can be purchased on the team's website. The giveaway ends next Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum (ankle) and Al Horford (toe) were cleared to play on Tuesday after being listed as questionable. Jaden Springer had to sit out due to pain in his left knee. The Hawks were without a star guard Trae Young (Achilles').


Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.