The NBA Mid-Season Championship is a major innovation of the season, designed to provide fans with more exciting matchups, more incentives for teams, and more revenue for the league。However, the format has also sparked a lot of controversy, especially in a Group C game, where the fate of the Magic and Celtics was unexpectedly dictated by an unreasonable rule.
The Magic and Celtics are both powerhouses in the East, with both of them having a 3-1 record in the group stage of the midseason tournament and tied with the Nets for the top spot in the group。According to the rules, if there are multiple teams with the same record, then it depends on the difference between them, which is the difference between the points scored minus the points conceded, and the team with the highest goal difference is ranked higher. In this way, the final game between the Magic and the Celtics will be the key to determining whether they qualify or not.
The Magic and Celtics games were played on Nov. 29 and at different times. The Magic played the Raptors first, and the Celtics played the Bulls later. In this way, the Celtics have a huge advantage, and they can adjust their tactics based on the results of the Magic game and know how many points they need to win to advance.
The Magic put up a high-level performance against the Raptors, beating their opponents 113-96 to net 17 points. The Magic's duo Banchero and Wagner Jr. combined for 57 points, Wagner Jr. came off the bench to score 27 points, and Suggs and Cole Anthony also scored in double figures. The Magic also excelled defensively, limiting the Raptors from the perimeter, allowing them to shoot just seven three-pointers compared to 14 themselves. The Magic's performance has been eye-catching, showing their quality and potential, giving a glimpse of their playoff hopes.
However, the Magic's victory didn't bring them much consolation, as their fate still depends on the Celtics' game. The Celtics also had a high-scoring victory against the Bulls, winning 138-111 to net 27 points. Tatum, the core of the Celtics, scored 36 points, Brown and Holiday also had 20+ points, and Cornet and White also scored in double figures. The Celtics' offense was very fluid, hitting 18 three-pointers and also adding 32 assists. The Celtics have been admirable, showing their dominance and experience and giving a look at their confidence in competing for a championship.
However, the Celtic victory was not all smooth sailing, as they adopted some very controversial tactics in the game that raised questions about their sportsmanship. The Celtics have been following the results of the Magic in the game, and they know that they must win enough points to advance, so they did not give their opponents any respite when they were ahead, but continued to use the main players to brush up the points, and even used the shark slashing tactic, deliberately fouling the Bulls' center Drummond to make free throws, and then using his free throws to increase their offensive rounds. This feels very disrespectful to the game and the opponent, and it also feels very unfair because the Magic don't have such an opportunity, they can only try to play their game well, and they can't adjust their tactics based on the results of the opponent's game.
In the end, the Celtics narrowly squeezed out the Magic team with a goal difference advantage and became the team that advanced. The Magic team was unjustly outAlthough they won by 17 points against Celtic, they had to concede qualification to each other, and they must be very helpless. This also reflects the biggest drawback of the mid-season tournament format, that is, because the teams in the same group have different start times, there is a deliberate point control situation, and even the Magic team is miserable by the rules. In a cup format like this, especially when you look at the goal difference like the record, if the team can't play at the same time, there will be a very unfair situation, the team that plays first suffers a big loss, and their game ends first, people can watch your score to play, then obviously, you are in a very disadvantageous situation.
The NBA's format is already unfair, and it's easier to manipulate the game. Even Holiday at the heart of the Celtics, the beneficiary of the rules, had an intriguing blast: "It's strange that the main team has to play with a big lead, and I think it's a bit disrespectful to the game and the opponent, but we can only play." This voice also reflects the sentiment of many fans who are unhappy with the format and want to see a fair game rather than a game dictated by the rules. The NBA should reconsider the rationale of this format, otherwise it will lose the support and trust of many fans. What do you think?Feel free to leave a comment.