The Boston Celtics need to pull out all the stops in order to keep their season alive Thursday night.
It’s do-or-die in Game 6 as the Celtics trail the 76ers, 3-2, in their Eastern Conference semifinals series as Philadelphia has flipped the script on Boston, winning back-to-back games. Considering injuries have struck nearly every team in the East, opening the gates to the NBA Finals, the Celtics continue to abuse the advantages handed to them — like the home-court advantage they have.
Nevertheless, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, who also hasn’t been his best in the playoffs, had a bold statement before taking the floor in Game 6 in Philadelphia:
“I’m ready for war,” Mazzulla told reporters prior to tipoff from Wells Fargo Center, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
That attitude, at the very least, needs to be applied if the Celtics intend to play another day. They’ve continuously stooped to new lows, most recently putting forth a laughable effort in Game 5, practically handing the 76ers a 3-2 series advantage with little to no fight. That performance was coming off a blunder of overcoming a 16-point deficit just to crumble in Game 4’s loss.
Mazzulla, who’s been out-coached by 76ers head coach Doc Rivers throughout the series, made a last-second lineup switch, placing Robert Williams in the starting unit while pulling Derrick White. Clearly, Mazzulla wants length and size in going up against league MVP Joel Embiid, but then again, keeping White seated has also haunted him numerous times during the regular season.
It’s desperation mode. With their backs against the wall, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics can choose whether or not they’re going to prove to be anything more than a regular-season watch who can’t get it done when the lights get their brightest.
