Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is about to do something he hasn’t done all postseason, and that’s start Robert Williams.
News broke of the surprising lineup change roughly two hours before the Celtics face a must-win situation in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mazzulla confirmed he was making the switch with Williams taking Derrick White’s spot in the starting unit when speaking to the media prior to the game and Mazzulla also offered why he opted to make the decision.
“Just give us a different look,” Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “I think at his best Rob gives us a lift, especially on the defensive end. So, just looking for that.”
By inserting Williams into the starting lineup, it gives the Celtics a double-big lineup with the athletic 6-foot-9 center pairing in the frontcourt with veteran Al Horford. And that’s something 76ers head coach Doc Rivers expected from the Celtics.
It seems Mazzulla has defense on his mind by making this move. Williams clearly is Boston’s best rim protector as the Celtics need to find a way to slow down 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, who scored at least 30 points in three straight games. And in two of Boston’s three losses in this series, the Celtics have allowed the 76ers to shoot 50.6% from the floor.
“Just his presence at the rim, his ability to guard on the perimeter and rebound and screening for us,” Mazzulla said. “I think those things he’s really been good at throughout the year and that’s what we’re looking for him tonight.”
The starting lineup of Williams, Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart was the second-most used lineup by Mazzulla in the regular season, but he didn’t turn to it often. The Celtics are 4-1 this season when trotting out that exact starting lineup.
