Getty Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics
With the finish line in sight, the Boston Celtics faltered in front of their home crowd, falling to an April 25 loss against the Atlanta Hawks, which extended their first-round playoff series.
Following the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla took some of the blame for Boston’s fourth-quarter collapse, sharing that he was calling out plays, which might have resulted in a slower pace of play.
“I think it’s more we just lost our pace a little bit on the offensive end partly on, you know, me trying to make sure we run a good play,” Mazzulla said. “And, you know, we talked about playing faster down the stretch, and I thought we just lost some of our pace, which allowed them to pressure us and get into passing lanes.”
With their latest loss, the Celtics have now lost two of their last three contests against the Hawks and are dangerously close to having to participate in a do-or-die game seven.
Jaylen Brown Throws Shade at Celtics Teammates
Despite being the best player on the floor, Jaylen Brown was unable to led his team to a victory, as his co-star Jayson Tatum struggled to make his usual impact. Following the game, Brown used his media availability to send a message to the players and coaching staff, sharing how they need to execute better moving forward.
“We pride ourselves on being basketball players and being able to, you know, make the right play and adjustments,” Brown said. “At times, we leave that up to the coaches to make that decision. For sure, we got to be better overall as a team, coaching staff and players, at getting organized in those moments, whether we call timeouts or not.”
Brown had a stellar outing against Atlanta, reaffirming his All-NBA credentials with a performance that saw him amass a statline of 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on 62.5% shooting from the field and 57.1% from the perimeter.
Jayson Tatum Rues Mistakes
Throughout the final five minutes of the contest, the Celtics crumbled under the Hawks’ increased defensive pressure, committing turnovers and taking some ill-advised shot attempts in traffic.
According to Jayson Tatum, who was speaking to the media following the game, it’s those mistakes that cost Boston the game, and he and his teammates wish they could get back.
“Just some careless mistakes from all of us that just kind of came back to bite us in you know, I’m sure that we wish we could have back,” Tatum said.
Unfortunately for Tatum, his struggles from the field contributed to Boston’s loss, as the All-Star forward produced 19 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, yet it was his shooting that hurt his team, hitting just 38.1% shooting from the field and 10% shooting from deep in 38 minutes of playing time.
Now, Boston will head back to Atlanta, where they will face off in the State Farm Arena for game six, a game that Celtics fans will be hoping marks the end of the team’s first-round series and sets up a grudge match against the Philadelphia 76ers.