Joe Mazzulla Believes These Celtics Are Defensive Quarterbacks

The Celtics entered Game 6 on Thursday night with Robert Williams III starting in place of Derrick White. The lineup change proved to be a smart decision on head coach Joe Mazzulla’s part, with Boston defeating the Philadelphia 76ers to force Game 7.

With Jayson Tatum struggling in the first half, Marcus Smart put the Celtics on his back both offensively and defensively, and Mazzulla took note of the guard’s play on the court.

“I just thought he brought a level of heat. He got the pace going for us from start to finish, and he did a great job of keeping those poise,” Mazzulla said on NBC Sports Boston following the Boston win. “He was the quarterback of our defense, him and Rob and so when Smart can dictate the pace like that and get us into offense and get us into spacing and just play with that level of like, toughness. It was contagious. He’s one of our emotional leaders. He does that for us.”

Being a quarterback is having the ability to not just run the plays, but also to have communication on and off the court.

“He just talks. His ability to guard different guys and recognize where the help should come from on the floor and it was him,” Mazzulla said of Smart. “It was all of them really. I said there was a level of intensity and a level of togetherness and connectivity that the guys had to where we were able to communicate and different stuff throughout the game and change matchups, change coverages.”

Mazzulla added the role Williams had on the court, giving the C’s size, athleticism and versatility in matchups and coverages.

“He’s the kind of guy that just brings a level of joy to his teammates and a level of defensive support to where the guys can be a little bit more aggressive,” Mazzulla said. “The guys can be a little gamble a little bit or just kind of play the game and so you know he does a great job of communicating is a great job of just given us that length and athleticism. I thought he was huge tonight.”

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The duo combined for 16 rebounds to go along with Smart’s 22 points and Williams’ 10. Smart also recorded two steals and Williams had two blocks. Defensively, Boston held Sixers star Joel Embiid to 26 points and James Harden went 4-for-16 from the field for 13 points and 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Smart expressed his thoughts on the lineup change and playing with Williams, something Mazzulla had been criticized for throughout the playoffs.

“I was ecstatic about it,” Smart said on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “You know to be able to have Rob in there. He changes the game a lot. … I was proud to have him on the court.”

With Smart and Williams as prominent as they were in Game 6, it should be a no-brainer for Mazzulla to use the same lineup in the decisive Game 7 on Sunday. Tipoff from TD Garden will not be determined until the conclusion of Friday night’s games between the Miami Heat-New York Knicks and Los Angels Lakers-Golden State Warriors.