The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown themselves to be the fittest team in the NBA at the beginning of the season. They have won 17 of the 20 regular season games they have played. However, in the NBA Cup, whose games also count for the league, they have suffered two defeats in three games. After losing against the Celtics last week, this Friday they bent the knee against the Atlanta Hawks, another of the surprises of the course. With this, they are eliminated in the group stage of the new competition, which is in its second edition this year. The Hawks’ victory places them first in the group and leaves the Boston Celtics at the top. They depend on the results of two games next Tuesday to avoid being left out of the title playoffs again.
The Hawks seemed like a natural guest in a group in which the Celtics and the Cavaliers were set to fight for first place. However, they caused a surprise on the first day of the group stage by winning at the TD Garden in Boston by a single point. They also beat the weak Washington Wizards, but lost against the Chicago Bulls, so everything was at stake this Friday in Atlanta against the Cavaliers.
After a very close first half, they escaped in the third quarter on a bad day for Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland’s star, who only added 12 points. On the local side, De’Andre Hunter, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson surpassed 20 points. The contribution of the French rookie Zaccharie Risacher, number one in the draft, who has found a place in the starting five, and the rebounding power of the Swiss Clint Capela and the Nigerian-American Onyeka Okongwu allowed the young Atlanta team to win comfortably (117-101 ).
With their victory, the Hawks not only eliminated Cleveland, but also put the Celtics on the ropes. Those from Boston began their game in Chicago knowing that, due to the tiebreaker rules, they could no longer be first in the group. Their hope was a crushing victory against the Bulls to qualify for the best second place in the three groups in the East (the first in the three groups of each Conference and the best second qualify for the quarterfinals of the Cup). However, they suffered until the end.
Despite the spectacular game of Jayson Tatum (35 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists) and Payton Pritchard (29 points and 7 rebounds), the Celtics and the Bulls reached the final quarter tied, thanks largely to veteran Nikola Vučević (32 points, including 6 of 9 three-pointers). The Celtics imposed their quality and experience, but still only had a 5-point margin with 14 seconds remaining. Two free throws and a triple at the buzzer allowed them to win 129-138, but it is not clear that that will be enough for them.
A complicated combination
On the other fields, in a day full of games, the Orlando Magic beat the Brooklyn Nets at home 100-123 and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Pacers in Indiana 106-130, both increasing their qualification aspirations.
With those results, it’s time to get out the calculator. The Celtics have completed their four group stage games with three wins and one loss and a point difference in favor of 23 points. They are second in group C of the East. However, there are two undefeated teams in both groups A and B that face each other on Tuesday to be the first in the group and have a good chance of knocking out the Celtics.
In group A, the Orlando Magic have a difference of 60 points in favor and the New York Knicks, 15, so in the duel between the two, a victory for the Knicks, who play at home on the last day, would leave the Celtics out. And, in group B, the Detroit Pistons (with three wins, zero losses and a 30-point difference in favor) receive the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday (also with three wins and a difference of 29 points), who have recomposed of their crisis at the beginning of the season, so a close victory for either of them would also condemn Boston. The Celtics will have to see on television what fate has in store for them. They have a complicated combination.
The Lakers, also eliminated
In the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets have surprised and secured first place in group A. The Golden State Warriors have qualified in group C as first. Along the way, the Denver Nuggets of Nikola Jokić, the Minnesota Timberwolves of Anthony Edwards and the Lakers of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, champions of the first edition of the tournament, have already been left in practice. Those from Los Angeles were left out this Friday after falling at home 93-101 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game in which Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to victory with 36 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds .
The first place in group B will be decided on Tuesday in the Phoenix Suns-San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder-Utah Jazz games. If the Spurs win at home, they will be first in the group, no matter what happens in another game, but if the Suns win, the Thunder will be able to qualify just by beating Utah, the weakest in the group.
For the position of best second of the three groups in the West, those who have it best are Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks, who with two wins and one loss accumulate a difference in favor of 41 points. They host the Memphis Grizzlies at home and a victory would almost guarantee them qualification.
The quarterfinals are played on December 10 and 11; The two semifinals will be in Las Vegas, on December 14, and the final will be held there, on December 17. From there will come the second winner of the NBA Cup.
