This has been one of the most fun seasons to watch in recent Celtics history, and the main reason has been the team’s mentality. The expectations were low, and everyone came in with a chip on their shoulder. Joe Mazzulla hit the right notes all season long, and the result was a roster full of dogs from top to bottom.
Every player relished their opportunities, which Joe afforded them, and they all rewarded his trust by playing like their backs were against the wall. He built a team that won on the margins, maximized every potential advantage, and found an edge where it seemed like nothing was there.
Joe has lost faith in the Celtics' depth for no reason
But in the playoffs, Mazzulla has abandoned the principles that got this team here, shrinking his rotation and showing zero creativity with lineups and substitutions, seemingly willing to go down with the ship as players like Sam Hauser, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, and Nikola Vucevic struggle.
Meanwhile, the guys he has suddenly buried like Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, Jordan Walsh (not quite to the same extent), and Ron Harper Jr. came into Game 6 in the fourth quarter alongside Payton Pritchard, and almost brought the team back from the dead, playing the best quarter we’ve seen in a while, and embodying what Celtics basketball is supposed to look like.
After the game, Mazzulla was asked about his decision to roll with those five for the final 10 minutes and stated, “Wanted to give the game a different feel. I mean, all year we’ve had 14-15 guys be able to impact winning.”
And it's not like you have to look back too far to remember this sentiment. We just saw this group defeat a Magic team at full strength in game 82 that's now one game away from eliminating the 1-seed, 60-win Pistons in the first round.
Mazzulla is so close to understanding the problem
And that’s what’s most frustrating. Joe is explaining exactly what made the team great all year. So why isn’t he doing it? Walsh, Scheierman, Pritchard, and Garza should absolutely be playing more minutes. They’ve earned those minutes, they match up well with the 76ers, and they excel in what the Celtics need most: shooting, defense, energy, and offensive rebounding.
But for some reason, Joe has gone away from everything that worked for him and is afraid to color outside the lines now that the playoffs are here. Celtics fans love Mazzulla because he’s a little bit different, and that’s what sets him apart from every other coach in the league, and it’s why he’s likely the NBA’s Coach of the Year this season.
And yet, in the biggest games of the season, he is turtling and doubting his own unique abilities. Now, the season is on the line in a round one Game 7, and there’s one last chance for Joe to shed the playoff training wheels and let it rip like he did all season. His postgame comments prove he knows it’s true, but he needs to trust himself and realize that’s the only way the Celtics are going to save their season and advance in these playoffs.
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