Everything is going exactly according to the plan for the Knicks, who are now up 2-0 in the NBA Finals over the Spurs, just two wins away from a championship, but the role of the coach should not be forgotten. Tom Thibodeau was fired after last year’s Eastern Conference Finals exit, a move that raised many eyebrows around the league.Â
But Brown, who was certainly not the team’s first choice, has come in and quieted all the noise, and then some. And a big part of what he has done is shown an ability to be versatile and trust his bench. Thibs was stubborn to a T, but Brown has embraced being adaptable. He has given real minutes to nine guys in this series, trusting Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, and Deuce McBride to come through in big moments.
Those role players were empowered all season, a certain level of trust was built, and now, when Brown needs them, he has the faith to rely on them, and they’ve come through for him time and again. Not only was this a fatal flaw for Thibs, but something Celtics fans are getting too tired of seeing from Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla's playoff coaching remains a head-scratcher weeks later
Mazz and the Celtics built a great, deep rotation all season long, but once the playoffs started, Joe lost faith in Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, and Jordan Walsh. All three played well, but they didn’t play nearly enough, as Joe hesitated far too long to go away from what wasn’t working.
Brown, on the other hand, had no problem sitting a starter, playing Josh Hart, a heart-and-soul-like figure for the Knicks, just 18 minutes in Game 2, the same amount as McBride, and 12 fewer than Shamet. Mazzulla was too slow to do the same thing last year with Kristaps Porzingis, and made a similar mistake this year with Sam Hauser.
Mazzulla must be more proactive going forward
Joe needs to learn from the league and learn from himself. He won the NBA Coach of the Year Award by leaning into this strategy, cycling through his two-way role players to swing games and boost possessions. It worked all year long, but Joe went away from it in the round one series with the 76ers.
Not only that, we’re seeing it working for the best teams in the league. Not just the Knicks, but also the Thunder and Spurs have shown a knack for going deep into their benches and making some tough substitution calls when needed. Deep down, Mazzulla has to be kicking himself for not believing in the system he helped build, and it must sting even worse seeing the Knicks pull it off on the biggest stage.
He needs to learn from this season and use it as a learning experience. Going forward, he needs to trust his gut, lean into his instincts, and not be afraid to react and adapt on the fly, just because it’s the playoffs.
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