Kings (44-32) at Celtics (60-16) Game #77 4/5/24

[SparzWizard]

I can just imagine the wrath Joe would get if JT or KP got injured while trying to win the game. Win or lose Joe is just a polarizing figure for the Celtics fan base. I wouldn’t be surprised of people still want him gone even if he wins a championship.

Win or lose, he needa go. We need a more responsible and accountable coach than this guy. He's in over his head.

[ozgod]

With that 1 point win we're nearly at a .500 record in games decided by a single possession 

[SHAQATTACK]

I’m not sure I like that strategy

I bet Tommy did three backwards summersaults in his grave .

[ozgod]

I thought the fourth quarter was kinda fun, in a way.  Also definitely let me know that I need to dial back the gameday intensity to about a 3 for the next few weeks.  This will be about staying ready, staying healthy, and also throwing a bone to some bench guys who have been great teammates all year.

I've kind of dialed it back already I guess...it was more curiosity I felt than anything else when Sacramento went on that 16-1 run...kind of like watching a car crash develop in slow motion and seeing what the drivers would do to avoid it 

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

If he wanted to coach and get practice in , why not call timeouts and do the drills with these guys too? 

Was Joe in a freakin hurry to go home , was he about to wee wee in his pants ?


That whole ending made no sense . He threw up this hands and washed his hands of what was happening on court….he is a freakin idiot

bingo. treat the end of game scenario like as if it was the starters

wait........MAYBE HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!  oMG

[Atzar]

I thought the fourth quarter was kinda fun, in a way.  Also definitely let me know that I need to dial back the gameday intensity to about a 3 for the next few weeks.  This will be about staying ready, staying healthy, and also throwing a bone to some bench guys who have been great teammates all year.

I've kind of dialed it back already I guess...it was more curiosity I felt than anything else when Sacramento went on that 16-1 run...kind of like watching a car crash develop in slow motion and seeing what the drivers would do to avoid it 

Just imagine how the Kings feel right now.  We've clinched everything there is to clinch, didn't even play two of our best players, our superstar had a bad game, one of our best bench players put up one of the least efficient offensive performances of all time, and we put out a G-league squad in the last eight minutes of the game.  And the Kings STILL couldn't find a way to win a game that they desperately needed.

People can complain about the coaching of a 61-win team all they want, but this is objectively hilarious. 

[Phantom255x]

Hauser shot 1-18. I’m actually laughing. Did he take the 18th shot and think “this one has to go in, right?!” 

[ozgod]

I thought the fourth quarter was kinda fun, in a way.  Also definitely let me know that I need to dial back the gameday intensity to about a 3 for the next few weeks.  This will be about staying ready, staying healthy, and also throwing a bone to some bench guys who have been great teammates all year.

I've kind of dialed it back already I guess...it was more curiosity I felt than anything else when Sacramento went on that 16-1 run...kind of like watching a car crash develop in slow motion and seeing what the drivers would do to avoid it 

Just imagine how the Kings feel right now.  We've clinched everything there is to clinch, didn't even play two of our best players, our superstar had a bad game, one of our best bench players put up one of the least efficient offensive performances of all time, and we put out a G-league squad in the last eight minutes of the game.  And the Kings STILL couldn't find a way to win a game that they desperately needed.

People can complain about the coaching of a 61-win team all they want, but this is objectively hilarious.

People want to see wins, and they want comfortable wins...they also want rested players, but not at the expense of losing games, as a diehard fan I get it 

But bigger picture I'm not upset about tonight at all. I'm glad they went thru that experience. I've been critical of Joe for many things but tonight's actions I didn't have any issue with personally.

Masochist that I am, my next wish in one of the next 5 games, is a game like the 2nd Atlanta game where we don't shoot well, a team goes toe to toe with us, many lead changes, starters get put under a ton of pressure and have to dig deep within themselves to win, without the benefit of Joe bailing them out with timeouts so they have to figure it out themselves. Everyone else will hate me for saying so, but I feel we need that type of experience going into the playoffs because it may happen, and we haven't had that much experience with that this season where we've thrashed teams for the most part and following along on the game threads has been a much more relaxed experience than it has been in the past. I'd much rather they experience that now than during the playoffs where we can only lose 3 games every series.

[ozgod]

Fans don't pay $ for tickets and NBA TV for Joe Mazulla to try to purposely lose games like this. Tatum and Holiday played 30+ minutes so he could just throw the game away like it was nothing more than a joke in the last 5 minutes?

The Celtics scored 3 points in the final 6:06.

So ironic...according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Globe, the Cs scored 3 points in the first 6 minutes of the game too. Like starters like bench 

[ozgod]

Also, according to Joe, he was trying to call a timeout right after Tillman recovered the ball, you can see him yelling and making the T sign. But the referees didn't see him, and Tillman drove to the hoop and made a floater, and that was it. I wouldn't have wanted to be him if he had managed to call the timeout just as Tillman's shot was going through the hoop 

https://youtu.be/I494Y_mfBKI?t=132

Once the big man gained possession with about 10 seconds left, Mazzulla frantically tried to call a timeout from the sideline. But it was not granted, and that was fortuitous for Boston. Tillman sliced into the paint and drained a floater from just inside the foul line.

“I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand,” he said.

Mazzulla said he did not have a moment to really savor Tillman’s shot, because he was concerned that Fox, who torched the Celtics for 40 points, was prepared to race upcourt with Boston’s defense on its heels. He immediately started pointing at the speedy point guard.

But Kings coach Mike Brown called timeout, and the Celtics could reset. After Fox missed a contested 17-footer from the right wing, Murray swooped in and had an excellent look at a putback, but could not convert. Then Colby Jones’s final tip-in missed, although he absorbed contact from Boston’s Svi Mykhailiuk on the play.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/05/sports/celtics-beat-kings/

[ChillyWilly]

I can just imagine the wrath Joe would get if JT or KP got injured while trying to win the game. Win or lose Joe is just a polarizing figure for the Celtics fan base. I wouldn’t be surprised of people still want him gone even if he wins a championship.

Win or lose, he needa go. We need a more responsible and accountable coach than this guy. He's in over his head.

I agree this season has been awful watching 61 wins and a dozen blowouts. I'm so tired of all this winning we should be 75-0!!!!!!

FIAH JOE I'm sick of winning bring back Ime atleast he tries to put it in the hole!!!!

[celticinorlando]

Mike Brown sure cried a lot in his post game presser.

[jpotter33]

Also, according to Joe, he was trying to call a timeout right after Tillman recovered the ball, you can see him yelling and making the T sign. But the referees didn't see him, and Tillman drove to the hoop and made a floater, and that was it. I wouldn't have wanted to be him if he had managed to call the timeout just as Tillman's shot was going through the hoop 

https://youtu.be/I494Y_mfBKI?t=132

Once the big man gained possession with about 10 seconds left, Mazzulla frantically tried to call a timeout from the sideline. But it was not granted, and that was fortuitous for Boston. Tillman sliced into the paint and drained a floater from just inside the foul line.

“I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand,” he said.

Mazzulla said he did not have a moment to really savor Tillman’s shot, because he was concerned that Fox, who torched the Celtics for 40 points, was prepared to race upcourt with Boston’s defense on its heels. He immediately started pointing at the speedy point guard.

But Kings coach Mike Brown called timeout, and the Celtics could reset. After Fox missed a contested 17-footer from the right wing, Murray swooped in and had an excellent look at a putback, but could not convert. Then Colby Jones’s final tip-in missed, although he absorbed contact from Boston’s Svi Mykhailiuk on the play.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/05/sports/celtics-beat-kings/

I mean, this is the whole issue with him - he doesn’t react quickly or decisively enough to make a difference. There have been several times this year where he’s done this and waited way too long before even attempting to call a timeout and not getting one called in time. Any rational observer saw that play was going nowhere from the start, especially given the personnel that was in.

It shouldn’t take until 2-3 seconds left in the shotclock to realize that the play was going nowhere and a timeout was needed. He’s got to do his job better and put the guys (especially bench guys who aren’t regularly in those situations!) in better positions to succeed.

[SHAQATTACK]

Also, according to Joe, he was trying to call a timeout right after Tillman recovered the ball, you can see him yelling and making the T sign. But the referees didn't see him, and Tillman drove to the hoop and made a floater, and that was it. I wouldn't have wanted to be him if he had managed to call the timeout just as Tillman's shot was going through the hoop 

https://youtu.be/I494Y_mfBKI?t=132

Once the big man gained possession with about 10 seconds left, Mazzulla frantically tried to call a timeout from the sideline. But it was not granted, and that was fortuitous for Boston. Tillman sliced into the paint and drained a floater from just inside the foul line.

“I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand,” he said.

Mazzulla said he did not have a moment to really savor Tillman’s shot, because he was concerned that Fox, who torched the Celtics for 40 points, was prepared to race upcourt with Boston’s defense on its heels. He immediately started pointing at the speedy point guard.

But Kings coach Mike Brown called timeout, and the Celtics could reset. After Fox missed a contested 17-footer from the right wing, Murray swooped in and had an excellent look at a putback, but could not convert. Then Colby Jones’s final tip-in missed, although he absorbed contact from Boston’s Svi Mykhailiuk on the play.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/05/sports/celtics-beat-kings/

I mean, this is the whole issue with him - he doesn’t react quickly or decisively enough to make a difference. There have been several times this year where he’s done this and waited way too long before even attempting to call a timeout and not getting one called in time. Any rational observer saw that play was going nowhere from the start, especially given the personnel that was in.

It shouldn’t take until 2-3 seconds left in the shotclock to realize that the play was going nowhere and a timeout was needed. He’s got to do his job better and put the guys (especially bench guys who aren’t regularly in those situations!) in better positions to succeed.

Truth ^

[ozgod]

Also, according to Joe, he was trying to call a timeout right after Tillman recovered the ball, you can see him yelling and making the T sign. But the referees didn't see him, and Tillman drove to the hoop and made a floater, and that was it. I wouldn't have wanted to be him if he had managed to call the timeout just as Tillman's shot was going through the hoop 

https://youtu.be/I494Y_mfBKI?t=132

Once the big man gained possession with about 10 seconds left, Mazzulla frantically tried to call a timeout from the sideline. But it was not granted, and that was fortuitous for Boston. Tillman sliced into the paint and drained a floater from just inside the foul line.

“I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand,” he said.

Mazzulla said he did not have a moment to really savor Tillman’s shot, because he was concerned that Fox, who torched the Celtics for 40 points, was prepared to race upcourt with Boston’s defense on its heels. He immediately started pointing at the speedy point guard.

But Kings coach Mike Brown called timeout, and the Celtics could reset. After Fox missed a contested 17-footer from the right wing, Murray swooped in and had an excellent look at a putback, but could not convert. Then Colby Jones’s final tip-in missed, although he absorbed contact from Boston’s Svi Mykhailiuk on the play.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/04/05/sports/celtics-beat-kings/

I mean, this is the whole issue with him - he doesn’t react quickly or decisively enough to make a difference. There have been several times this year where he’s done this and waited way too long before even attempting to call a timeout and not getting one called in time. Any rational observer saw that play was going nowhere from the start, especially given the personnel that was in.

It shouldn’t take until 2-3 seconds left in the shotclock to realize that the play was going nowhere and a timeout was needed. He’s got to do his job better and put the guys (especially bench guys who aren’t regularly in those situations!) in better positions to succeed.

Joe shared his reasons why he didn't call a timeout earlier.

A reporter asked Joe Mazzulla what he was thinking as the lead slipped away. Predictably, he loved it.

“‘This is awesome,’” Mazzulla said, recounting what he thought. “Couldn’t simulate a better environment of stress, pressure, chaos. It’s a perfect environment to execute. … There’s no reason to call a timeout there because when Payton [Pritchard] got the ball inbounds, he created an advantage, and they were double-teaming every time, and so we were going to get a better shot. They were in a fix-it situation the entire possession. It allowed us to get a good look, it allowed us to get offensive rebounds because they couldn’t find us. We were off their bodies. I thought it was a perfect environment for practice.”

He also said he was surprised Mike Brown called time right after Tillman's bucket because Fox had been killing them with his speed pushing the ball up.

Mazzulla added that he was surprised the Kings called timeout in the aftermath, since Fox had been hurting the Celtics by going fast.

“I was fully anticipating them just getting the ball and going down and running, and so I thought that would have been worst-case scenario,” Mazzulla said. “So then when they called it, we were just able to execute — figure out what we wanted to do defensively.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2024/04/06/celtics-bench-holds-off-late-charge-by-kings-7-takeaways/?p1=hp_secondary