On Sunday, May 7, the Boston Celtics fell to an overtime defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers after taking too long to get into their final action of the game.
According to Mike Greenberg of ESPN, the Celtics may have thought the game was tied and were looking to force a second overtime period rather than realizing they were trailing the game and needed to get a bucket.
“We’ll never know because they’ll never admit it,” Greenberg said. “I think the Celtics thought the game was tied at the end of overtime yesterday. They played that possession like they thought the game was tied. They played to try and get a shot off with half a second on the clock, and they ended up doing it half a second too late. They played with no urgency. They played that possession the way you would play a possession if the game is tied.”
When Marcus Smart hit his final three-point shot of the game, you could have been forgiven for thinking the Celtics had succeeded in their comeback. Unfortunately, the shot was a few milliseconds too late, and the basket didn’t count, allowing the Sixers to tie the series at 2-2.
Magic Johnson Believes Joe Mazzulla Made a Mistake
Following the Celtics’ overtime defeat, there was a lot of discussion among both the fanbase and the media as to whether head coach Joe Mazzulla should have called a time-out before the final possession.
According to Los Angeles Lakers legendary point guard Magic Johnson, the decision not to call a timeout down the stretch was a mistake by Mazzulla – something which many believe cost the Celtics the game.
I thought Celtic’s Head Coach Mazzulla made a mistake not calling a timeout and setting up a play in the final seconds of the game.
“I thought Celtic’s Head Coach Mazzulla made a mistake not calling a timeout and setting up a play in the final seconds of the game,” Johnson tweeted.
Joe Mazzulla’s reluctance to call timeouts has been an ongoing talking point all season and will continue to be one until he proves his strategy works or he changes his approach to managing the game.
Doc Rivers Sounds Off on Jayson Tatum
Even though the Sixers won the game, head coach Doc Rivers was still upset that Jayson Tatum got away with a perceived push-off on Tyrese Maxey for a three that could have potentially sealed a win for the Celtics.
When addressing the media following the game, Rivers shared his thoughts on why allowing that basket to stand was a poor decision on the part of the game officials.
Doc Rivers is angry about Jayson Tatum’s push off 😳
“Jayson Tatum’s three was awful that wasn’t called awful,” Rivers said. “It was a push-off. And the reason that it bugged me was at the end of the game, there was these touch fouls. Jayson Tatum has a 360 foul. Marcus Smart gets tangled up, touch foul. So, if we’re gonna call it that way, then you have to call that. To me, you gotta call that play. I know it’s a big play, and I’m a big fan of refs not deciding [the game], but that could have decided the game.”
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ESPN Analyst Provides Strong Take on Celtics’ Final Possession Against Sixers