Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla DEFENDS decision not to call timeout on final possession against 76ers after James Harden sinks game-winning three-pointer against Boston
- The possession ended when the final buzzer sounded just before the shot was fired
- Boston’s loss now has the series tied 2-2 with just three games left
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave reporters a rather blunt answer when asked about his decision not to call a timeout in the final overtime game in the overtime loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. .
On the play in question, Boston got the ball back with 19 seconds and two timeouts, after James Harden had just given the 76ers the lead after converting a clutch three-point shot.
Rather than calling a timeout to move the ball upfield before running a play that saw Jayson Tatum come off a Derrick White screen before throwing the ball to Marcus Smart, who attempted the game-winning shot , Smart ended up making the final jumping second but released the ball just after the final buzzer expired.
“That was the game, we just had to play with a little more pace,” Mazzulla said, referring to Boston failing to shoot in time.
“We had a good game. Jayson came down, made the right play at the rim, we just had to play with a little more pace there. But that was the game.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters why he didn’t call a timeout
Boston’s final possession ended with Marcus Smart attempting a game-winning 3-pointer
Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum also spoke about the play and pointed out that there were also other occasions when the team didn’t call a timeout and they managed to convert the shot attempt.
“We have a good core of guys who know how to play under pressure,” Tatum said.
Boston entered the game with a 2-1 series lead, which is now deadlocked at 2-2 after today’s result.
Interestingly enough, this head-scratching move comes just days after the Milwaukee Bucks fired former head coach Mike Budenholzer.
He was fired after a questionable decision not to call a timeout in critical time that ultimately saw his team knocked out of the playoffs.
While Mazzulla is unlikely to meet the same fate as Budenholzer, it highlights the microscope coaches find themselves under during the playoffs, regardless of how their teams performed during the 82-game regular season. .