BOSTON — The Celtics became the first team to advance to the Conference Finals on Wednesday night with a 113-98 win over the Cavaliers in Game 5. The win did not come easy for Boston against an undermanned Cavs squad as a lack of energy and defensive focus was prevalent throughout much of the first three quarters. Amid the ups and downs, there was a steady presence determined to keep the Celtics on track in Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla took his lumps during his first postseason at the helm in Boston. He made some questionable lineup choices (Derrick White says hello), was a little too slow with adjustments (Philadelphia series) and struggled with late-game management in a few key spots.
He’s had a far better team in year two from a talent perspective but questions remained about Mazzulla entering this postseason as expectations for this team remained sky high. With Boston losing ugly at home in Game 2 of the Miami and Cleveland series, Game 5 had a recipe for disaster written all over it. Boston was looking at a golden opportunity to end a series early, get some needed rest and prepare for two potential East Finals opponents. However, like so many times in past postseasons, the Celtics put themselves in danger of punting on that opportunity. The defense was not sharp early, Marcus Morris got hot and the undermanned Cavs weren’t going away quietly.
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A year ago, Mazzulla was very reactive on nights like this. In Game 5 on Wednesday night, it was the opposite. The Celtics head coach was proactive with his timeouts, accurately reading his team was lacking energy and discipline throughout the first three quarters of this game. Whether it was stopping a quick 6-0 Cavs run or simply showing his displeasure with a couple of uninspired offensive possessions, Mazzulla ensured Cleveland was not able to put together any significant runs all night long after the first quarter.
Mazzulla also did well managing his rotation during what was an uneasy night at times. He went away from Sam Hauser for much of the second half as he struggled defensively. Al Horford’s slow shooting start and defensive switching onto smaller guards may have made it tempting for Mazzulla to go small. Instead, he stuck to his guns with the veteran and was rewarded with Horford’s best game of the postseason.
Perhaps most impressively, Mazzulla got full offensive buy-in from his stars when it mattered most. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for more fourth-quarter assists (6) than field goal attempts (4) in what was a beautiful scoring frame for Boston. The Celtics shot 64 percent from the field in the fourth quarter as they pulled away late with 10 assists on 11 made field goals as Brown and Tatum broke down the defense time and time again in search of easy looks.
“I think we got the ball up the floor quickly, got into our spacing very quickly,” Mazzulla said. “We talk about guys leading in different ways, Jaylen and Jayson’s ability to just read defenses and make the right play for themselves and for each other really showed.
“They tested our spacing discipline, they tested our trust in each other, and all the guys made plays down the stretch where we got 2-on-1s and we just made the right play over and over again. So it’s a credit to the guys’ discipline and execution and trust in each other.”
Making the simple play was the right path to victory for the Celtics on Wednesday night but it hasn’t been the easy one for this group over the years. Mazzulla’s persistence on this front clearly reaped dividends in Game 5 when it mattered most and earned him plenty of praise for his players.
“Joe has been key for our success,” Horford said after Game 5. “I feel like he has put us in positions defensively, but also offensively, for us to continue to grow as players on the offensive side of the ball. Continue to make reads, continue to figure things out. There’s a lot of ways that teams try to play us and I feel like he’s been great tactically with our group. Making us see things, making us think about it, and us being able to process so much information.”
Bigger tests remain for Mazzulla in the coming weeks against tougher competition on a bigger stage. For now, he’s shown important growth in getting efficient early round results for this group that should come in handy for the long haul.
The Celtics haven’t been playing their best basketball of the season in the playoffs so far but their performance in the fourth quarter in Game 5 looked like a team on its way there.
