While not mentioning Joe Mazzulla by name, NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg ripped the Boston Celtics’ late-game execution during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub on April 1.
“I’m not losing sleep over it,” Forsberg said before adding, “But I do believe, you know, there’s this concept I sometimes detest it when Celtics fans tell you, ‘Oh, they’ve won 57 games and are so amazing. We don’t need to worry. They are experimenting. They are doing this. They are doing it.
Mazzulla is obviously not the one who initiates all of Jayson Tatum’s solo plays late in games, but he is surely not the one who stops them.Tatum deserves to be trusted to run the offense approximately 95% of the time, but his 6/21 conversion rate on two-pointers and 34% overall pull-up 3-point percentage — notable because it’s his favored shot in clutch situations — suggest that he shouldn’t be heavily featured in the final few minutes of close games.
Unless of course, his shots are the result of set plays. Mazzulla must control his offense and ensure that the squad runs a true non-hero ball offense when it matters most.
Because if their current late-game performance continues, Banner 18 is far from a given.