Boston Celtics NBA In-Season Tournament 2023 scenarios: How can Jayson Tatum and Co. clinch group win or wildcard?

The Boston Celtics have one more group-stage game in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament. They're in second place with a 2-1 record, behind the Orlando Magic. How can Jayson Tatum and the Celtics clinch the group or qualify via the wildcard?

With the final group-stage games scheduled on Tuesday, the NBA released the scenarios for all the teams that have a chance of making it to the knockout round.

For the Celtics to qualify, these are the scenarios that need to happen:

• Boston will win their group if they win their final group stage game against the Chicago Bulls and get the tiebreaker over the Orlando Magic.
• If the Brooklyn Nets also win their final group stage game, the Celtics will also need to get the tiebreaker over the Nets.
• Boston will get a wildcard spot if they beat the Bulls and the Nets, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers all lose on Tuesday.
• Boston will also qualify if they finish second place in East Group C and win the tiebreaker against all second-place teams with a 3-1 record.
• Finally, Boston gets a wildcard spot if they get the tiebreaker against all second-place teams, win against the Bulls and the Nets, Knicks, Heat and Cavaliers lose.

The Boston Celtics face the Chicago Bulls in their final group-stage game on Tuesday at the TD Garden. It's a must-win game for the Celtics if they want to advance to the knockout round of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics will also have to win by a large margin over the Bulls to give themselves a better chance of winning the tiebreaker over the Orlando Magic. Boston will need to win by 23 points or better to top East Group C.

---

---

Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum not a fan of NBA In-Season Tournament point differential

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics

Jayson Tatum was very frustrated when the Orlando Magic ran up the score in the Boston Celtics' 113-96 loss on Friday in their group-stage matchup. Tatum admitted that he's not a fan of the point differential aspect of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

"You wanna win every game you play," Tatum said. "The point differential thing, I'm not the biggest fan of it. … I guess last Friday when the game was already over and guys were still trying to score, it's all about respecting the game, respecting your opponents.

"Not a fan of cause if you're on the opposite end of that, you'll feel some kind of weight. Just trying to win the game however you can."

Running up the score is frowned upon in the NBA when the game is over. If only Tatum and the Celtics played better on Friday, they wouldn't have needed the point differential to advance, and he perhaps wouldn't have been this upset.

---