Celtics use 76ers as crash test dummies in latest potentially unintentional experiment

Joe Mazzulla hates breaks. He said the same before All-Star Weekend. The Boston Celtics coach would love to grind. But even though he hates holidays just like Dwight Schrute, he made sure to utilize his forced leave to the fullest.

“So I have a list of 10 to 12 things that we need to get better at as a team,” Majulla said just before the All-Star break. “And so, I will look at the calendar of games and figure out when those things become thematic.

“When we need to set them up, and how we can approach (them), whether it’s practice or shootaround, make those topics important to what we’re trying to get across. So, I will definitely plan for it.”

Mazzulla was planning experiments.

In so many words, the Celtics coach astutely admitted to looking at the team’s upcoming schedule, seeing which games might work best for certain lessons, and preparing accordingly.

Three games later on the All-Star schedule and the Celtics are already in the lab.

Boston’s wins against the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks were more adjustment-centric than experimental. He identified issues and fixed them as the game progressed, troubleshooting Nikola Vucevic’s post dominance and Jalen Brunson’s pick-n-roll nuances. In each game, he fixed the holes, and he earned two wins.

Their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night provided the clearest picture yet of Mazzula’s tests. Boston made only 22 threes – their lowest total of the season at seven – yet still managed to pull out an 18-point victory over the Sixers.

Yes, Philadelphia did everything it could to keep Boston from raining haymakers on itself and playing small without Joel Embiid. But while the gameplan may have called for a light three-point night, setting a season-low with seven completed attempts indicates a willingness to adapt. Moreover, the eagerness to do so.

“I think it’s good to have teams that will play different ways than us,” Jaylen Brown said. “Like you said, tonight, he took away the three-point line. In the next game, other teams may move into the field and try to slow you down. Other teams can change everything. As a student of the game, you accept the challenge”

Led by Brown, who finished the night with 10 of 11 in the paint, Boston made 24 of 30 (80.0%) shots in the restricted area. They earned 12 more shots at the rim than the 76ers.

Boston also shot 37 free throws, equaling their season-high. But the most interesting thing about his charity-stripe success is that the other 37-free-throw night was the same game as his previous season low in three-point attempts – a loss to the Orlando Magic on November 24.

The Magic faced the Celtics with a great level of physicality in the lane, blocking things and forcing Boston away from their normal gameplan.

While it may not have been uppermost in Mazzulla’s mind, as the Celtics have emphasized a game-to-game mentality this season, it’s hard to imagine an Orlando loss not being one of his 10 or 12 items.

“Yeah, we only shot 22 threes. He’s not like us,” Jayson Tatum said. “But I think we’ve done a good job of recognizing that, obviously, they’re much smaller than normal. So, taking advantage of being able to get to the rim tonight.”

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Even though Mazzulla was not ready to experiment in the 76ers game, Nick Nurse and company provided him the opportunity to do so.

Driving and kicking in Boston is most comfortable. They shoot a lot of threes because they have the talent for it, and with players like Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser hanging around, opposing teams often struggle to keep up.

But when the nurse decided to close that door, Mazzulla did his best take on Dexter and donned his symbolic white coat.

The Celtics focused on attacking interior mismatches, giving Porzingis 12 free throws, and helping Tatum and Brown dominate the driving game. Once Boston regained its rhythm and stopped offensive counterattacks, Philadelphia got the puck.

“It’s beautiful,” Mazzulla said of winning the game while losing most of the key metrics. “Yes, it is beautiful. Like I said, it gives us something to study. Gives us something to work with. And (I’m) grateful that we were able to play that game.”

Mazzulla has become synonymous with three-pointers. From his bickering with reporters about the team’s high attempt numbers to the team’s reaction on social media when he has a tough night away from home.

But a three-point-heavy offense has never been the goal. “He never told us to shoot 44 threes a night,” Tatum said with a smile. “But it’s all about taking the right shots and respecting each other’s space”

Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Threes are clearly an important part of the attack in today’s game, but Mazzulla likes quality looks above all else. It just so happens that the Celtics specialize in generating threes.

“I don’t like threes. “I like great shots,” Mazzulla said. “And so if five were going to be on KP, and they were going to be in the drop or we were going to be two-for-three, we were going to shoot it. If they’re going to switch and be in the post mismatch or on the perimeter for dribble drives, we’re going to shoot him.

“And if we go into the paint, and they don’t help, we have to finish at the rim. If they get into the paint and help, and we get him out, we get him.”

Heading into Tuesday night, the Celtics were 0-3 when making 10 or fewer threes. But after making just five, he broke the spell. They proved capable of winning even without the three-ball, perhaps ticking off one of Mazzulla’s 10-12 inventory items.

“I think it’s beneficial that we have a balanced team, a good team that we can win physical games, we can win fast-paced games, we can outplay other teams,” Tatum said. . “So, we have to prepare well. There are many different ways to win a basketball game, and we need to be able to do it every way we can.

Whether intentionally or not, Boston is treating its rivals like crash dummy car companies to ensure safety in the event of a crash.

Mazzulla is the guy behind the glass with the clipboard, security metrics indicate playoff goals, the Celtics are the car, and on Tuesday night, the Sixers were crash test dummies.