The playoffs are a unique beast.
Few teams know that better than the Boston Celtics, and few head coaches understand better than Joe Mazzulla, who already has a championship under his belt. When the lights are brightest, the game slows down, the intensity increases, and the rotations shrink.
The Celtics have been one of the true surprises of the season, in part because Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were phenomenal all season long, and in part because of their depth. Player after player came off the deep recesses of the bench and contributed in a positive way.
For all that Boston appreciates each and every one of them, Mazzulla is absolutely going to shorten his rotation in the playoffs. He may take a game or two to do so, especially against an injured Philadelphia 76ers team, but soon he will be playing eight or nine players instead of 10 or 11.
That will be a difficult truth for some players to swallow, but it's the reality. Who is getting kicked to the curb for the playoffs? Let's start with the name we've known for months.
No. 1: Luka Garza
The moment that the Boston Celtics traded for Nikola Vucevic at the NBA Trade Deadline, the writing was on the wall for Luka Garza in the playoff rotation. The Celtics wanted a stretch-5 and didn't trust that Garza was the best they could put on the court, and so they traded for the veteran Vucevic.
Garza has played well this season, both compared to expectations when they signed him off the scrap heap and in general. He appeared in 69 games, shot 43.3 percent from deep and survived defensively.
Garza might be back if Vucevic stumbles, but he'll start the playoffs as the third-string center.
No. 2: Hugo Gonzalez
Boston discovered another treasure with their first-round pick, using the 28th pick of last year's draft on Spanish wing Hugo Gonzalez. The 19-year-old rookie instantly joined the rotation and played like a man possessed, bringing energy and intensity to every lineup he was in.
Few players were also as impacted by the return of Jayson Tatum as Gonzalez, who has moved to the fringe of the rotation. It would make sense for Mazzulla to insert Gonzalez in a few games to gain some playoff experience, but he is not likely to be a part of the core rotation to kick things off.
No. 3: Baylor Scheierman
Mazzulla has proven to be a head coach who likes tight rotations, which means he may end up at just eight players over the course of a playoff series. If and when that happens, Baylor Scheierman is likely man number nine.
The former college star has taken a massive step forward in his second season, shooting the ball consistently and proving himself defensively. In the end, however, Sam Hauser is starting and Jordan Walsh is ahead of Scheierman; there are only so many minutes available behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Fans should expect to see Scheierman in Game 1, but don't be surprised if Mazzulla pulls the plug early on -- especially if Philadlephia steals a game in Boston.
Add us as a preferred source on Google