Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla delivered a staunch response on Sunday when asked to explain how he handled the final play of the team’s wild 116–115 Game 4 overtime loss to the 76ers on the road.
A huge James Harden three-pointer gave the Sixers the lead with 19 seconds remaining in OT. With Boston in possession of two timeouts, Mazulla elected to have his group play out the closing moments as guard Marcus Smart gave the ball to Jayson Tatum near half-court.
Tatum then drove to the basket for a contested layup after receiving a screen from guard Derrick White but the play was slow to develop, resulting in Tatum kicking it out to Smart for a three-point attempt that came after the final buzzer.
HARDEN GAME-WINNER 💰
— ESPN (@espn) May 7, 2023
What an ending in Philly‼️ pic.twitter.com/nutrUxXHHI
Mazzulla’s decision drew criticism after the game, with fans and pundits wondering why he didn’t call a timeout to draw up a possible game-winning play. When asked post-game if he considered calling a timeout, Mazzulla declined to answer the question, instead addressing the same reporter’s follow-up question asking him what the final play was supposed to be.
“That was the play, we just had to play with a little more pace,” Mazzulla said, referencing Boston not getting a shot off in time. “We had the right matchup. Jayson got downhill, made the right play at the rim, we just had to play with a bit more pace there. But that was the play.”
Joe Mazzulla addressees not calling a timeout before final possession of OT, & how he felt about the C's offense in Game 4 pic.twitter.com/o6eFGoJJTb
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 7, 2023
While Mazzulla’s answer may still bring more questions, the final play of Sunday’s contest will likely be one Boston would like to run back considering the circumstances.
After entering Sunday’s game with a 2–1 series lead, the No. 2–seeded Celtics now find themselves facing a best-of-three scenario against the three-seed Sixers. The teams will have just one day off to recover from their slugfest at the Wells Fargo Center before facing off inside TD Garden for Game 5 on Tuesday.
