Some Celtics fans may want to put Joe Mazzulla in timeout for not using his timeouts.
Game 4 of the Celtics-76ers matchup was an overtime thriller that came down to tenths of a second on the game clock. Boston guard Marcus Smart heaved a potential game-winning 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net, but the basket didn't count because the ball was still in his hands as the buzzer went off.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla decided against calling a timeout and drawing up a play after James Harden splashed a 3-pointer that gave the 76ers a one-point lead with 18.2 seconds left on the clock.
The decision baffled some, including Magic Johnson:
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The 76ers took the win, defending home court and sending the series back north tied at 2-2. After the game, Mazzulla addressed the decision to not call a timeout, saying that the Celtics got the look they wanted in that spot.
Mazzulla's explanation in full:
That was the play. We just had to play with a little bit more pace. We had the right matchup. Jayson [Tatum] got downhill and made the right play at the rim. We just had to play with a little bit more pace there. But, that was the play. ...
Just make the right read, which I thought he did. We got [Tyrese] Maxey in the pick-and-roll, and he made the right play. We just didn't play fast enough.
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There are some fair questions to ask about that final play, however.
The Celtics needed just two points, not three, to take the lead with the clock ticking down. They also had two timeouts to burn, so settling for a kick-out triple rather than attacking the paint — even with Joel Embiid down low — seemed risky.
Some questioned the decision to have Smart take the final shot rather than Tatum or Jaylen Brown. Smart did have 21 points and hit four of his 10 3-point attempts.
Whatever the case may be, Mazzulla opted not to call a timeout — and now time is running out for the Celtics to close out the series.