1/24 730 EST (TNT) Lets beat feet, but first let's yeet the Heat.

SteveF

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Deserved to lose the way they played. Too many turnovers, badly outrebounded. Obviously a product of all the missing players.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Gee, if only the Celtics weren't out of timeouts and Joe could draw up an OOB to get Tatum open instead of being a sitting duck going ISO.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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I feel like every coach in the NBA calls a tmeout there. It's not like the Cs offense was rolling and they were trading buckets. They had three made baskets in the last 8 minutes of game time.
 

The Social Chair

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Coach Joe has a chip in his brain that either prevents him from taking a timeout or makes him stupid.

We better not blow a chance at a title because our coach can't coach during games.
 

TrapperAB

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That was enraging.

What a completely awful play call for the end of the game.

Sure, wait till there's almost no time left and then try to pass it across the entire court.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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People aren't acknowledging that this is the equivalent of a split squad in spring training. This game was winnable but its a schedule loss, as expected.
 

128

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Mazzulla has a great rapport with his players, and the C's seem generally well-prepared, but he's not much of an in-game tactician, is he?
 

Jed Zeppelin

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17 to 7 turnovers and that’s without the Celtics most turnover prone players and Miami’s best steals guy.

Say whatever about who wasn’t playing tonight but the team still has the same problem with tough defenses that caused them to all but choke away two playoff series last year and cost them the Finals.

The coach needs to be better close and late.
 

Fishy1

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I'll laugh if he doesn't call a TO.
Get those chuckles in.

Hopefully this is a wake-up call for Joe. Tatum bungled that badly, but he should not have been allowed to be in that situation in the first place. The second he waved off the screen, he was gonna get doubled.
 

Bernie Carbohydrate

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Mazzulla has a great rapport with his players, and the C's seem generally well-prepared, but he's not much of an in-game tactician, is he?
I've been okay with Mazzulla's "let them play" mentality. But in this case, even if Mazzulla wanted to let them pay and not draw something up, the TO would have let his exhausted players get a quick blow.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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17 to 7 turnovers and that’s without the Celtics most turnover prone players and Miami’s best steals guy.

Say whatever about who wasn’t playing tonight but the team still has the same problem with tough defenses that caused them to all but choke away two playoff series last year and cost them the Finals.
I get it but our two top ball handlers are out tonight and it’s the second game of a B2B. They’re on fumes and playing garbage time guys huge minutes I think it’s a product of that more than anything.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Meh...

Can't go 6 minutes in a half without a point.
Teams absolutely can and do. To your point, its not a recommended strategy.

Also, scorch Mazzulla for his timeouts and coaching all you want but he played Jackson for over 14 minutes tonight and Brick-Haus for over 25. He came to a gun fight armed with marbles.
 

teddykgb

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People aren't acknowledging that this is the equivalent of a split squad in spring training. This game was winnable but its a schedule loss, as expected.
Losing is fine but the lack of timeout at the end was boneheaded.

I had said this before the season but I worry about Mazzulla in the playoffs. The continuity got us off to a great start but in a series against a good coach there’s a lot of adjustments and in game management to be done and we just don’t know if he’s got the pulse. It’s basically a maxim that every fan base thinks its coach is too slow with timeouts but it really seems like he isn’t inclined to slow them down and ask them to execute something and that can be the difference. These regular season games are situational reps for the real thing and this entire group has always been a little shaky at late game execution
 

Jed Zeppelin

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The Celtics are on the back end of a back to back and gassed. They literally have nobody they can play. 4 of their top 6 players are out. Really not sure what mazz can do at this point.
Use timeouts to give guys a fucking breather once in a while. It’s not rocket science.
 

BigSoxFan

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This game means very little but there is clearly more development needed for Joe, which is to be expected.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Losing is fine but the lack of timeout at the end was boneheaded.

I had said this before the season but I worry about Mazzulla in the playoffs. The continuity got us off to a great start but in a series against a good coach there’s a lot of adjustments and in game management to be done and we just don’t know if he’s got the pulse. It’s basically a maxim that every fan base thinks its coach is too slow with timeouts but it really seems like he isn’t inclined to slow them down and ask them to execute something and that can be the difference. These regular season games are situational reps for the real thing and this entire group has always been a little shaky at late game execution
I’m going to assume we get playoff Joe and he tightens shit up once the playoffs start, but he has been completely asleep at the wheel twice in three games now. The Pritchard TO late against Toronto and the final possession tonight. Concerning.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I get it but our two top ball handlers are out tonight and it’s the second game of a B2B. They’re on fumes and playing garbage time guys huge minutes I think it’s a product of that more than anything.
I know, I just can’t stand losing to this fucking team ever and I’m going to have a minor trauma response about our approach to tight defense literally until the second they clinch the title.

POBOBS needs to draw up some endgame plays for his coach to use.
 

djbayko

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I'm often okay with the "let them play" approach, but it doesn't make any sense in a situation like tonight where the 2 teams aren't getting fatigued at the same rate due to a short bench. The Celtics were at a distinct disadvantage with no opportunity for rest.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Guys like Pritch, Jackson, Hauser played hard, but Bam had more in the tank at the end and for some reason the Cs couldn't get Tatum shots in the 4th. Ball didn't move, too much Tatum initiation/iso - that's where Smart/Brogdon would have obviously made a major difference.

TimeLord did some TimeLord things, Tatum only 3 assists (or TOs) from a triple double.
Losing is fine but the lack of timeout at the end was boneheaded.

I had said this before the season but I worry about Mazzulla in the playoffs. The continuity got us off to a great start but in a series against a good coach there’s a lot of adjustments and in game management to be done and we just don’t know if he’s got the pulse. It’s basically a maxim that every fan base thinks its coach is too slow with timeouts but it really seems like he isn’t inclined to slow them down and ask them to execute something and that can be the difference. These regular season games are situational reps for the real thing and this entire group has always been a little shaky at late game execution
Perk agrees with you, but Scal thinks it's on the players.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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This is absolutely hilarious. The Celtics lost two in a row and still have a 3+ game advantage for the one seed in the EC. Joe Mazzulla, who became an NBA head coach in September has his team off to a 35-14 start and at full strength they are smashing teams.

The second end of a B2B with a rickety roster and now people think Mazzulla needs to be replaced? Wut?
 

lexrageorge

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Teams absolutely can and do. To your point, its not a recommended strategy.

Also, scorch Mazzulla for his timeouts and coaching all you want but he played Jackson for over 14 minutes tonight and Brick-Haus for over 25. He came to a gun fight armed with marbles.
And the team was still in position to tie/win on the last shot. Credit Mazzulla for having his short handed team ready to play.

But Mazzulla absolutely has to call time out there and draw up a play. No reason not to. Bringing the ball to half court gives the team the best shot to win, and that is the coach's job. Should he be fired? Absolutely not. But it still is correct to question the strategy in this case.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Losing is fine but the lack of timeout at the end was boneheaded.

I had said this before the season but I worry about Mazzulla in the playoffs. The continuity got us off to a great start but in a series against a good coach there’s a lot of adjustments and in game management to be done and we just don’t know if he’s got the pulse. It’s basically a maxim that every fan base thinks its coach is too slow with timeouts but it really seems like he isn’t inclined to slow them down and ask them to execute something and that can be the difference. These regular season games are situational reps for the real thing and this entire group has always been a little shaky at late game execution
This is my concern. Does he have go-to plays in his bag for absolute must-have situations? We have no idea and may not know until a game is do-or-die. It’s more than a little scary after a playoffs in which blowing several games including against this same team cost them crucial rest that might have made the difference.
 

TrapperAB

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Agree that was bad. I’m definitely a little concerned with Joe’s in game coaching.
I'm with ya. How he could look out at his guys and think, "Yep, they're good" is beyond me. They're tired, and the B squad is on the floor. Give everyone a chance to suck on an oxygen mask and watch you write on a white board.

If Joe is that bad at decision-making when it's THIS obvious, how bad is he with the more subtle stuff?
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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Perk and Scal kind of suggesting that Tatum overruled Coach Joe and that he should have known the TO was unquestionably the right call, regardless of Tatum's inclinations. Scal even demonstrated the walk-on-the-court TO technique.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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And the team was still in position to tie/win on the last shot. Credit Mazzulla for having his short handed team ready to play.

But Mazzulla absolutely has to call time out there and draw up a play. No reason not to. Bringing the ball to half court gives the team the best shot to win, and that is the coach's job. Should he be fired? Absolutely not. But it still is correct to question the strategy in this case.
People can and do question strategy here all the time. It seems to be a point of contention when someone tries to introduce context into the situation.

If Mazzulla is making mistakes after three months of being an NBA head coach, is that a shock? I trust that the franchise is well run enough to help Mazzulla along. Stevens attention to detail may not have suited many here but it really feels like he is highly regarded amongst his peers for his preparation and coaching acumen. I am assuming he and his staff will have notes for their young, interim coach and I assume Joe will make adjustments. The team, Brad and Joe have all earned that trust. YRMV
 

timelysarcasm

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I get his thinking behind the "let them play," but timeouts can also serve to give guys a minute to catch their breath - badly needed when Tatum is carrying a heavy load all game.

And especially in a situation there at the end of the game, why not take a second and get the play right?

I wouldn't say our end of games inspires confidence that we don't need to take an occasional timeout.
 

Ed Hillel

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This is why Brogdon is such a huge difference. They need his minutes handling and not turning it over because they Jays do far too much of it otherwise.