PHILADELPHIA — Joe Mazzola told Robert Williams III on Wednesday night that he would start for the first time since March 3 next to Al Horford. He delivered the news that the game needed – and that his players wanted to hear.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Horford. “I’m glad Joe made that adjustment and we made it, because what a difference. It didn’t surprise me, I was glad it happened, but we just know the impact Rob has on the field. When Rob isn’t there, I feel like a lot is on my shoulders, and when he’s there, I know He has my back and I can be more aggressive.”
And Mazzola had previously moved away from the team that started last year due to injuries, uneven results and the desire to play with five players, as execution in this end became the identity of the team. However, when scoring struggles nearly led to a Boston shutout in game six, the defense saved them.
Late edit succeeded. James Harden threw his first pass to PJ Tucker, and Williams III exposed it. the 76ers He shot 1-for-9 early, then put it back up when the shot clock expired, before Therese Maxe hit the Philadelphia side again with one possession.
Mazzola called a timeout and Smart walked into the crowd to light up his teammates. In a chaotic, tense, and fraught environment that has everyone in the building on the edge of their seat, the Celtics have taken communication into their own hands.
They needed to clean up offense, defend in a variety of formations and coverage, and stem a furious Philadelphia comeback while lifting Jason Tatum from an unprecedented poor start for a superstar.
“(My teammates) were very honest throughout the game,” Tatum said. “Cheerleading…that s*** was frustrating. You want to win badly. You want to play well and the shot doesn’t fall. It doesn’t necessarily go your way and you want it so bad. You try to stay present. I try to stay in the moment. Try and do other things.” Every time, every huddle, my teammates say to me, “Next person gets in. Continue to recover. Keep getting help. Keep getting blocks…just believe the next person will be in. “
Tatum did it all on the way to a season-saving 95-86 win and waited out base time all together. Mazzulla – under fire with the series’ slant against the Celtics – ceded some leadership to players in the offline scene, but is excited about as much as possible with this approach. In Game 7, they’ll need to use both structure and that urgency.
The return to the big-double lineup allowed Boston to rediscover its identity from last season. Williams III pulled away from Tucker who finished with a score of 3-for-8, daring him to shoot as Williams III stood in the lane. Horford could play louder and more aggressively against Harden and Joel Embiid pick and roll. Perimeter Defenders are like smart robbers.
Boston players desired a more defensive focus going into the postseason. Once they lined up towards the turnaround, Mazzola gave them the keys.
“I think in the past this team always won defensively,” Brogdon said. “At the end of the season, this year, she will win her defense and I think that’s what we saw tonight.”
“Joe can only make so many adjustments, he can only say so much, but it’s only the guys in that gathering, sitting on this bench and on that floor that will make the difference. We’ve got to stick together and tonight I thought we were so honest with each other and we stayed together.” .
It is not clear what exactly led to the change. Mazzola described it as a way to give the Celtics a different look and presence, and explained Saturday to CLNS Media/CelticsBlog The players didn’t ask for it directly. Tatum has previously spoken about how much fun it is to take offense while playing Williams III.
The team emphasized the importance of his involvement after the breakout of Game 3 against the Falcons. He has played less since then, producing inconsistently off the bench.
Mazzulla’s unwillingness to change turnovers, defensive play plans, and a key mistake — not calling a timeout at the end of Game 4 — drew criticisms that players acknowledged after Thursday’s win. Many players have spoken out in support of the switch to Williams III, who has provided an outlet for the offense and dramatically changed the complexion of the defence. Formerly forcing Philadelphia to switch, mid guard shot over Mazzola’s defense and scored one-on-one.
“To have Rob there, it changes the game a lot,” tasty He said. “Being able to have a lob threat, an edge threat, to be able to protect the edge on the other end, it’s huge for us. I was so proud to have him on the field. It just shows for you to learn Joe, just like all of us. I know he kills a lot – and rightfully so.” – He needs to make some adjustments and he did. That’s all you can ask, keep being the best he can be and it takes everyone. It’s a complete team effort.”
Those calls have grown in recent weeks as Brown has asked for more time on the ball and said some of the planning points haven’t worked. Brogdon denounced the double teams on Harden and the need for defensive focus became apparent. Brown, Horford, Tatum, and Smart all discussed returning to defense to enter the playoffs. Mazzulla continued to bring attention back to the offensive table.
That leadership by the committee proved the most surprising aspect of Thursday’s victory. Mazzulla delivered a love letter to Tatum while his teammates cheered him on. Brown told Tatum to stop playing for fear, attack the mismatch in front of him and believe. Horford, Smart and Brogdon continued to create footage of it. They wrestled together.
“When we go wrong in court, it’s Joe’s job to tell us about it, and he does a great job of holding us accountable,” Smart said, explaining, “rightly so Comment on Saturday.
“There are things we don’t see on the field that Joe sees, but there are also things we see that Joe doesn’t see, and we’re here to help each other…letting (Mazzola) know, we want to do this more, let us do this, we feel comfortable with this, taking The time to say, “Okay, I hear you guys, let’s do this, or I hear you guys, I took that into account, we talked about it, it didn’t work,” but having that open dialogue.
“That’s right As a matter of fact, where, just like us, when we go out there and don’t play a good game, or don’t do things we know we’re capable of or ought to do, we take responsibility,” Smart continued. Different from what we do and that is because of the things he may or may not do. That’s his decision, if it works, we say nothing, if it doesn’t work, then obviously you have to look at it. That’s the point of criticism…the ability to learn.”
Players will need to address their mistakes as well. The turnovers poured in from the team’s aggression on the field, 18 of them, and Boston lost touchdown passes that led the Sixers to go.
The change in lineup gave them something to rally around. The teammates covered each other, literally with defensive assist Williams III, and figuratively for their head coach.
“Only Joe can do so much for us on court,” Smart said. “We’re the only ones playing, and at some point, we have to go out there and we have to figure it out. For us, Joe let us know some things, which helped. It definitely puts us through a fire that we have to put out on our own and figure it out. When you have a team like that, When you’re constantly learning and working to keep getting better, those moments help you along the way.”