For the Boston Celtics, playing in their second close-out game this week in their opening-round Eastern Conference series against the Sixers, the minutes played by the team’s centers in Thursday’s Game 6 loss in Philadelphia were pretty evenly distributed. Starter Neemias Queta played 20 minutes, and backup Nikola Vucevic played 14. Third-stringer Luka Garza, who was part of coach Joe Mazzulla curveball unit he deployed to get Boston out of its offensive funk, played 14. One guy who did not play center: Jayson Tatum.
And that’s odd, especially with Boston now losing two straight to force a Game 7. The Celtics don’t play Tatum–a forward by nature and stature–at the 5 all that often, but it has been an effective small-ball tactic when it’s been in the cards.
On a night in which the Celtics again looked wobbly when it came to scoring–the final was 106-93, the second straight time Boston has been held below 100 points and the third in the series (all losses)–it might have been time to dust off the Tatum-at-the-5 tactic. But Mazzulla decided not to do so.
Jayson Tatum Not Playing Center
After the game, when meeting with reporters, the Celtics coach explained the unwillingness to go to the small lineup.
Said Mazzulla: “Just felt like having a five out there has given us the best chance throughout. Just the screening and rebounding—Neemi had 11 rebounds tonight. Something, I think, they’re playing their size and we just kind of like what those 5s are giving us.”
The Sixers have, indeed, been playing size, with Joel Embiid back on the floor after rehabbing from an emergency appendectomy three weeks ago. Embiid followed up his dominant 33-point showing in Game 5 with a humble 6-for-18 shooting performance, but still ground out 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Injury Concern For Celtics’ Jayson Tatum
There is concern about the Celtics and Tatum for Game 7, as he appeared to be injured in the third quarter of the Game 6 loss and went back to the locker room. But Mazzulla was asked about the injury and was blunt in his answer.
The injury appeared to be his calf. But, Mazzulla said, in fact, there was no injury. “No, he just went in the back. Got stretched, got some treatment, that was about it,” Mazzulla said.
So it looks like we will see Tatum on the floor for Game 7. Less clear, though, is whether the Celtics finally play Tatum as the center in an attempt to unlock other areas of the court.
Celtics Seeking Answers
The Celtics do need some answers. They again struggled with their shooting, making 42% on the night, and made 29% from the 3-point line. The Celtics were again muscled out on the boards, with the Sixers winning that battle, 48-46.
Said Mazzulla: “They made an adjustment with some of their stuff defensively, and we have to find different ways to be able to create that vs. different coverages, and they’ve changed their coverages throughout the series and done a good job with that. Sometimes it is hard to create that. So, you have to be able to do it faster vs. different coverages and execute that.
“It’s something that has been an emphasis from the beginning of the series and we have got to be better at that in Game 7.”
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Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Addresses Jayson Tatum Decision After Game 6 Loss