The Boston Celtics have thrived under interim head coach Joe Mazzulla so far in the 2022-23 NBA season. They own the league's best record (22-7) while leading all teams in points per game (119.4) and offensive rating (118.1).
Despite the strong start, Mazzulla hasn't been immune to criticism.
Timeouts, or lack thereof, have been a hot topic for the C's with Mazzulla at the helm. Usually, coaches will call a timeout when the opposing team goes on a run. Mazzulla has taken an unconventional approach.
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The most recent example of Mazzulla's unique timeout strategy came during Tuesday's dramatic overtime win vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. He declined to call a timeout while the Lakers turned a 20-point deficit into a 13-point fourth-quarter lead.
So what's the reasoning behind Mazzulla's timeout usage? He discussed during 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand.
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"I don't think there's actual real evidence that (calling timeouts during runs) works," Mazzulla said. "I think there's feel. And I think this is what people are used to seeing and how people have done it along the way. We were down 92-88 and I called one, we scored to go 92-90, and they went on another 6-0 run. So what did that timeout do besides get us down more than we were when I called it?
"So I think it's your team. I think it's knowing your team. I think it's us as a team being on the same page. I think it's building an awareness and a mindset to how the game is going and when it does get away from us, what are the things that we can do to get back? Because I think a lot of times when a team is on a run, it's mostly because of self-infliction. Our guys do a great job of growing and understanding what those issues are, and how we can quickly get back to it.
"But I'm not quite sure there's any real evidence that one way works and one way doesn't. I think it's more about what your team's comfortable with, and what you can get your guys to buy into and how well they respond."
Jayson Tatum and his Celtics teammates understand Mazzulla's mindset.
"Joe tells us all the time he’s not going to save us," Tatum said after Tuesday's win. "Especially in the course of the game when we’re not playing the way that we should be, a lot of times he tell us, ‘Figure it out.’ And he challenges us.
"That’s what he did tonight. Even before the game, how he talked to us to start -- myself, [Jaylen Brown], (Marcus) Smart -- he challenged us, just the way that we’ve been playing was not going to cut it."
As controversial as Mazzulla's timeout strategy might be, you can't argue with the results. Tatum and the C's certainly won't begrudge Mazzulla if they continue to add tallies in the win column.
You can listen to everything Mazzulla had to say about his timeout strategy in the video above.