Despite going 3-1 on the Summer League season, the Celtics won't be moving onto the playoffs.
Despite going 3-1 in the Las Vegas Summer League, the Boston Celtics won't be going to the Summer League playoffs.
The top four teams in the Summer League advance to the Summer League semifinals on July 18, with the finals coming on July 19.
The 26 teams that didn't advance to the playoffs all earned a fifth game, and that is the situation the Celtics are in.
As noted by CelticsBlog, the C's will play the Orlando Magic on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on Amazon Prime. That will conclude their action in Las Vegas, and then they will wait for training camp to begin in September.
Not that it really matters, but the Magic went 45-37 this past season, also making the NBA playoffs. The Celtics went 56-26, finishing in second place in the Eastern Conference before getting eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
The C's have defeated the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings in Summer League, while losing to the Atlanta Hawks.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the twenty seventh pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr. after he was selected by the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesBiggest storylines
The whole point of Summer League is player development and getting guys acclimated to the pro game. From that standpoint, it's been important to see the growth of Celtics' draft picks Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell in these games. Both players have shown off their athleticism and their aggression, and they both have an opportunity to contribute to the NBA club this season, at least in some capacity.
Furthermore, it's been important to see the growth of Hugo Gonzalez, who serves as the leader of the Summer League group. He played in 74 NBA games this past season, and while he struggled in his first two games of Summer League, he had 24 points in the win over the Kings.
More to watch for on Saturday
This game will continue to be about what Cenac and Mitchell can show, and it will be fun to get one more look at head coach Amile Jefferson before he goes back to being a Celtics assistant for the regular season.
In other Celtics news
Former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is getting inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 15, and he's going to have a pair of Celtics legends with him as he enters the group.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, both already in the Hall of Fame, will present Rivers for his induction.
Every new Hall of Fame member is being presented by a group of already-inducted Hall of Famers. You can read more on that here.
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