Mazzulla Changes Tune About No-Timeout Decision in Celtics' Loss to Sixers

Mazzulla changes tune about no-timeout call in Celtics' Game 4 loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics were one possession away from taking a 3-1 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in their second-round playoff series Sunday afternoon.

Instead, Celtics fans are left questioning the decision-making of head coach Joe Mazzulla -- who is doing some second-guessing himself.

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With 19 seconds remaining in overtime of Game 4 at Wells Fargo Center and Boston trailing by a point, Mazzulla declined to call a timeout, entrusting his players to execute the game-deciding possession.

To put it mildly, they did not: Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart waited far too long to initiate the final play, and Smart's 3-point attempt off a pass from Tatum came after the buzzer sounded, sealing a 116-115 victory for Philly.

Mazzulla stood by his decision not to call a timeout after the game, noting that Tatum and Smart made "the right play" but just didn't run that play fast enough.

After a night of reflection, however, the first-year head coach admitted he'd do things differently if given a second chance.

"At the end of overtime, hindsight is 20/20 -- I should have called (a timeout) to help us get a 2-for-1 or get a couple more possessions," Mazzulla told reporters Monday in a video press conference. "Obviously with 14 seconds left, down one, you want as many chances as you can. So, definitely learn from that."

NBC Sports Boston analysts Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House made a similar point Sunday on "Celtics Postgame Live": If you're trailing on the final possession, it's better to attempt a shot with time still on the clock to give your team a chance to grab an offensive rebound and attempt another shot.

Whether you agree with Mazzulla letting his team play or not, he at least should have called a timeout as the clock ticked under 10 seconds and the ball was still near half court.

"By doing it that way, you give yourself one opportunity. You're saying we're going to live with this chance... every other coach would have said 'we need to regroup.'"

Scal and Eddie give their analysis on final moments of Celtics' OT loss to 76ers pic.twitter.com/szvfqexBRj

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 7, 2023

Mazzulla appeared to learn that lesson after Game 4.

"Obviously if it doesn't go well, it's a mistake," Mazzulla added Monday. "So, I think the two lessons that you learn from that are, call it right away, get a 2-for-1, get two shots, get a couple extra possessions, or we have to have a clear understanding as a team that we've got to go faster to get a shot.

"We've done both over the course of the season; we just didn't execute either one in that particular situation. But from that standpoint, once we're losing pace, I've got to call (the timeout) so we can get a shot up earlier."

It's encouraging to hear Mazzulla take ownership for his (lack of) actions in that situation. The Celtics made some excellent adjustments after dropping Game 1 that resulted in back-to-back wins in Games 2 and 3, so there's optimism that they can do the same ahead of Tuesday's Game 5 and take a 3-2 series lead.

But it will be on both Mazzulla and his players to make better decisions in crunch time if Boston wants to advance to the next round.