Joe Mazzulla's unique timeout approach left many scratching their heads throughout the regular season. The Boston Celtics coach will be the subject of criticism again following the frustrating final moments of Game 4 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mazzula opted not to call a timeout to draw up a play during the final possession of Boston's overtime loss. Jayson Tatum got the ball in Marcus Smart's hands and while the C's guard drilled what would have been the game-winner, his shot came after the final buzzer.
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"That was the play, we just had to play with a bit more pace," Mazzulla said after the 116-115 loss. "We had the right matchup, Jayson got downhill and made the right play at the rim."
So, what should we make of Mazzulla's decision and how that final possession unfolded? Our Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House shared their takes immediately after the game on Celtics Postgame Live.
"I'm OK with not calling the timeout. What I'm not OK with is, you want to extend the game," Scalabrine said. "If you go early, attack, you hold the corners, you go, and you miss. Now all of a sudden you foul, even if they make two at that point, you would still have an opportunity to call timeout, advance the ball, and try to make a play.
"So by doing it that way -- and I get it, Marcus Smart almost got the shot off on time -- you give yourself one opportunity. You're basically saying, like, 'We're gonna live with this chance.' Every time the Celtics have a two-for-one opportunity, they take it. Well, this is a great opportunity to get two opportunities to win. And you can't be afraid of what Philly might come down and score. That's not the way you do it.
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"If Joe Mazzulla didn't like what he saw, then he should've burned a timeout and said, 'Guys, when we're down one, we need to go early.' I'm fine with it, but every other coach would have said, 'We need to regroup. We have two timeouts left. We advance the ball, we go quick and run the play.' If it doesn't work, you still get another chance. I'll take two chances over one any day of the week."
Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: Celtics fail to execute on final possession, 76ers even series | Listen & Subscribe
House shared a similar sentiment, also noting Boston's lack of pace on the final possession.
"If we go a little earlier, Marcus Smart gets that shot off. It's really about, we just let precious seconds tick away for no reason," House said. "We just stood like we had the lead waiting for them to foul. You have to go, and like you said, you have to maximize your opportunities. You have to stretch the game out as much as possible. And you want to give yourself an opportunity to score.
"You have a chance to score, you have a chance to miss the shot, get the offensive rebound, and get a putback. There's so many variables that can happen. But when you just give yourself the one shot, it's do-or-die at that particular moment. It's OK if you're gonna do the one shot, but get it off."
Mazzulla not calling a timeout will be a hot topic heading into Game 5, but the C's will look to turn the page when the second-round series returns to Boston on Tuesday. The series is tied at 2-2.
You can watch Scal and House's full instant reaction to the Celtics' defeat below.