The Boston Celtics are on a one-way path to the postseason. Though the Cleveland Cavaliers still sit above them in the standings, Boston is nipping at their heels, and they have a comfortable lead over the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic, who are below them.
But while Joe Mazzulla may like to play all the best teams in the league all the time, that’s not how scheduling works. The Celtics need to practice for the postseason whenever they get the chance, but they won’t always be taking on top-tier competition. That’s why little points in the schedule like the one they have this weekend are all the more valuable.
Even if they are playing the Chicago Bulls.
Joe Mazzulla looking forward to Bulls home-and-home
Boston plays the Bulls in back-to-backs games this week, once in Boston on Thursday and again in Chicago on Saturday. Though the Bulls will likiely finish the season out of the playoff picture, the fact that they get to play them twice in a row is useful.
Mazzulla sees these types of matchups as fun, useful points of preparation.
“I think it can be good,” he said after Celtics practice on Wednesday. “You kind of look at how you're going to go about them in the next two games. It's kind of like a playoff situation from the standpoint of, there's a day in between and, depending upon how the first game goes, do you have to adjust? What do you have to take away? What do you have to be better at?
“So, I kind of like that aspect of it. It presents a challenge either way. If you win, what can you do better? If you lose, how do you have to improve? So, I don't mind that at all. I think it's pretty fun.”
The Celtics had their way with the Bulls earlier this season, thanks in large part to a monster Payton Pritchard fourth quarter, but playing the same team twice in a row is still valuable.
In Mazzulla’s eyes, it’s a way to practice the ins and outs of a playoff series, especially when it comes to game-planning, travel, and other small details.
For the past few years, teams have seen more scheduling quirks like these—playing the same team twice, home-and-homes, and even playing the same team five times in a season.
But while it may be weird for those used to the old ways of a schedule, there are certain positives to it, too. And Mazzulla is ready to take advantage of them.