Although the Boston Celtics lost to the Indiana Pacers Monday night 122-112, so far this in-season tournament has shown to be a good idea.

If you were watching the pregame show on TNT, Tyrese Haliburton expressed that it’s the first time in his young career that he’s fighting for something important during the regular season. He also showed himself to be a superstar with a triple-double (26 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds) against the C’s in being an all-around player. We know the Pacers aren’t legit contenders for anything serious come postseason, but this is a good way for Indiana fans to be prideful about their season. The arena was rocking and loud for the game.

The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis with a strained calf injury, which is safe to say a big reason for them losing. Nonetheless, Jayson Tatum scored 32 while Jaylen Brown finished with 30 points. The C’s players and coaches told the media that the in-season tournament was being taken serious to the franchise.

Teams such as the Nuggets, Celtics, Heat, Lakers and more won’t have their star players out on the court if they aren’t fully healthy for this tournament. However, the intensity of each game has felt like a playoff atmosphere the further each team has gotten into the tournament.

Of course the Celtics fouling when up over 20 points against the Chicago Bulls wasn’t a good look, so the NBA will have some fixing to do after this season. Although that instance alone should show that teams care, are competitive, and want to win.