Joe Mazzulla’s ability to lead the Celtics to an NBA Finals was called into question after Boston’s Game 1 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
But he rebounded in Game 2 when Boston blew out the Sixers to tie the second-round series 1-1 as it shifts to Philadelphia. Mazzulla’s first year as head coach has had its ups and downs, but now that the Milwaukee Bucks are out of the playoffs, Mazzulla’s Celtics have become the favorite to win the NBA championship.
After Wednesday’s 121-87 win over the 76ers at TD Garden, Mazzulla took a slight dig at the media, sarcastically quipping why no one wanted to ask about the adjustments made from Game 1 to Game 2. It’s a valid point, but it didn’t come as any surprise to Marcus Smart.
“I’m not surprised he asked you guys that,” Smart told reporters after the game, per MassLive. “But I’m proud of him. We expect to be perfect sometimes and we forget this is his first year in this spot with the reins and he’s doing a phenomenal job at it. He’s doing a great job. But we’ve got to relax and let him learn as well. He understands, he has his staff there, they’re talking, and they’re going to make the right adjustments. And that’s what he did (Wednesday), and it showed.”
It showed by way of a blowout win, Grant Williams seeing the floor more and making life difficult for NBA MVP Joel Embiid. Furthermore, James Harden didn’t score 45 points (only 12 in Game 2) and Jaylen Brown came out like a man on a mission to begin the game. Even on a night when Jayson Tatum played just over 19 minutes and scored seven points, the Celtics got it done with a full-team effort that was hard to ignore.
The Celtics now prepare for Game 3 on Friday night at Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
