Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t one to go around and just give away information.
In fact, extracting lineup explanations from the first-year head coach has been like pulling teeth throughout the season. That much is true for everyone apparently, as even his players are working on little notice during their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Sam Hauser, for example, claims the first meaningful playoff minutes of his career came without much warning from Mazzulla.
“Honestly, I didn’t know much going into the series,” Hauser said of his usage following Game 2, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “You just have to stay ready and when your number is called, you have to make sure you are ready to go. … It’s pretty cool. First time for everything. I think I’m appreciative of the journey I’ve been on so far and I definitely am not taking it for granted.”
The swift lineup changes have become the norm for Boston, as Mazzulla provided a slight explanation for his decision to not play Grant Williams in either Game 1 or 2.
Things have gone swimmingly despite the short notice, as Boston took the first two games of the series pretty easily and will head to Atlanta with a 2-0 lead.
Hauser has seen his tremendous late-season stretch turned into a permanent role as the Celtics’ eighth man in the series against the Hawks. In two games, the 25-year-old has played a total of 26 minutes and has gone 1-of-3 from 3-point range. Though the offensive numbers have been less than stellar, Hauser has stepped up defensively as the Hawks continue to attack him in isolation when he’s on the floor.
“I kind of expected it,” Hauser said, per MassLive. “It’s kind of been happening all year long so it’s nothing I’m not used to or not unexpectedly going into a game thinking it’s not going to happen. I’m ready for it, I know that I’m going to try my best on it and I know my teammates have my back if I do make a mistake. That gives me confidence while I’m on the ball.”
The strong defense should allow Mazzulla to keep his eight-man rotation in tact for the remainder of the series. We’ll just have to wait and see if he does so, because we all know he won’t make it known before hand.
