Marcus Smart doesn’t have any issues with Joe Mazzulla employing his polarizing no-timeout strategy at arguably the most important juncture of Wednesday night’s game.
After besting the Heat in virtually all facets of the game in the first half at TD Garden, the Celtics were shoved in a locker in the third quarter. Miami outscored Boston 46-25 in the frame, which saw Mazzulla only call one timeout while his team was losing its hold on the contest. The lopsided quarter proved to be the difference, as the Heat hung on for a 123-116 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Mazzulla was criticized by some for not calling another timeout in the third, especially since Erik Spoelstra effectively did the opposite later in the game when Boston flirted with a comeback. But Smart doesn’t believe it was a difference-maker in the Celtics’ series-opening defeat.
“Joe is real big on a lot of times not bailing us out on stuff when we’re playing like (expletive),” Smart told reporters, per MassLive. “So, we’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror. Joe can call a timeout, and then what? We come out and do the same thing? It’s on us.”
Mazzulla tersely brushed off his controversial timeout usage after the game and opted for a similar tone when he addressed the Celtics’ preparation for Game 1. This might have brought on some déjà vu for Celtics fans, who watched Mazzulla get snippy with the media in the early goings of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
And much like when the Celtics were punched in the mouth in Round 2, they’re now tasked with making the proper adjustments in order to give themselves better footing in the series.
