Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t exactly at a loss for words in describing his charges’ evident lack of fight in their outing the other day. In fact, he was clear in what he deemed to be the reason for their setback, which has placed them on the brink of playoff elimination. He said it was the “first really, really bad game” of the green and white in the postseason. Whether or not he’s right, though, is subject to debate. After all, they did have a handful of other clunkers, including in the first round against the Hawks.
In any case, Mazzulla should consider one significant reason the Celtics will be heading into Game Six of their semifinal round series today with survival at stake: his own seeming lack of capacity to excel in the moment. For example, there was no excuse for their inability to come up with victory in Game One; even with newly minted Most Valuable Player awardee Joel Embiid sidelined due to injury, they found themselves on the wrong end of the score off an inexcusable failure to contain supposed milk carton model James Harden. And then there was their final possession in overtime of Game Four, during which he decided not to call timeout to set up a proper potential match-winning play even though the action had been slow to develop on the court.
To be sure, Mazzulla has pronounced strengths that the Celtics appreciate; not for nothing did they post the second-best regular season record in the National Basketball Association. And coming off their tumultuous breakup with erstwhile bench tactician Ime Udoka, he represented much-needed stability and trust. That said, his biggest pluses are apparently his biggest minuses as well; his predilection for familiarity, especially in pressure-packed situations, has stunted his inclination to introduce adjustments on the fly. It’s why they have kept going for isolation sets far from the basket even when shots aren’t falling. And it’s why they have continued to rely on the same coverages despite the Sixers’ sustained success in the elbows.
Make no mistake. The Celtics have more than enough in their arsenal to bounce back today and force a winner-take-all contest at the TD Garden. If nothing else, they have institutional memory to lean on in their latest comeback attempt. Still, they would do well to understand the importance of innovation. They simply cannot do the same things that have led to their downfalls over and over again and expect a different result. And, bottom line, the onus is on Mazzulla to get the message while there’s still time.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, oprerations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
