Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said he likes the idea of ​​the NBA Cup, which aims to inject more excitement and competitiveness into a traditionally boring section of the schedule.

There is, however, one change he would make. He wants this to turn into a true standalone tournament, separate from the regular season.

“The best way, in my opinion, to give him more impact is to move him away from the 82-game schedule,” Mazzulla said before Boston hosted Atlanta Tuesday night in the NBA Cup opener for both teams. “So it’s not just a regular season game; it’s something different. You see other tournaments around the world, they don’t count in your national league. It’s entirely its own league.

“So that, for me, is my only negative in that regard. I like it. I think having something like this in the middle of the season is good, especially during a long year. That’s the difference between what we do here and what you do around the world. But it’s an opportunity for us to win something, an opportunity to pursue something, so we look at it that way.

Under the current formatAlmost all NBA Cup games – group matches, quarterfinals and semifinals – count towards team standings in the regular season. Only the championship, which will be played on December 17 in Las Vegas, is not part of the 82-game schedule.

To adopt Mazzulla’s proposed setup, the NBA would either have to shorten its season or require each team to play a half-dozen additional games, which would likely be unpopular with players.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder spent a season coaching in Europe with CSKA Moscow, which competes in both the Russian Professional Basketball League and the international EuroLeague. So he had prior experience in this type of tournament setup. He also thinks the event previously known as the NBA In-Season Tournament is good for the game.

“I like it,” Snyder said. “I don’t know what’s not to like right now. I think as people become more and more comfortable with it, it’s something unique. Obviously, having spent some time in Europe with the EuroLeague and the tournaments and some of those things, it adds something to our league. I know logistically it can be difficult at times, but I think the benefits far outweigh that.

“And that creates, I think, from a competitive standpoint, being able to focus on something else – even if the regular season is attached to it, of course. But a chance to play in a tournament, there’s just a different mindset, a championship and all these different things associated with it and I think it’s great for the players, I think it’s great for coaches and especially fans. »

The Celtics will face Cleveland (home, Nov. 19), Washington (away, Nov. 22) and Chicago (away, Nov. 29) in their remaining NBA Cup pool games. They advanced to the round of 16 last season before losing to Indiana in the quarterfinals.