The Celtics dropped a close game to the Nuggets on Friday, marking the first time they’ve lost at home this season. While losing one game in January doesn’t make or break the Celtics’ title chances, it was a tough finish for what’s been the league’s best team thus far.
So there were at least some criticisms to come out of the matchup as the C’s faltered in a close game. They’ve made their strides this season, but it wasn’t enough as they were left just short against the Nuggets in the 102-100 loss. After the game, ESPN’s NBA Countdown reacted to the loss, and former Celtics big Kendrick Perkins had a bizarre comparison when criticizing C’s coach Joe Mazzulla.
“They have two Joe Mazzullas,” Perkins said. “They have the one that got the philosophy of we’re going to get up more 3s than you. When they hit them, he looks great. Then you have the other Joe Mazzulla, who just stands over there, and you wonder. If you take his brain out and you put it in a bird, the bird is going to start flying backwards. You got that Joe Mazzulla.
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“You know why I say that? It’s because he doesn’t get his guys easy looks. Time and time again, we kept saying, attack the paint. You have so many guys that are great at cutting. They cannot continue to play AAU style basketball all the time. You gotta have sets.”
Now, it’s true that Mazzulla does like the math involved with 3-pointers. The C’s shot 14-for-44 from behind the arc, so it wasn’t exactly an efficient night — especially after a hot start. But the Celtics’ process wasn’t necessarily poor in crunch time as shots just didn’t fall. The C’s had some open looks that just didn’t go down, which happens.
The Celtics also had some chances to win the game. Jayson Tatum rushed what would’ve been a go-ahead transition bucket as he didn’t fully have control of the ball. Then, the Celtics also called a pair of timeouts to set up the game-tying bucket that didn’t come. Tatum had a look at the game-tying shot, but he rushed it as it wasn’t close to falling — and that’s something he took responsibility for postgame.
So the Celtics will look to rebound from the loss as they’re still a league-best 32-10 on the season. While they dropped a close game to the reigning champs on their home court, it doesn’t have to sound the alarm bells when it comes to their process. Those parts will also take care of themselves in the playoffs.
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