Joe Mazzulla isn't trying to overcomplicate matters as the Boston Celtics have their season on the line Thursday night in Philadelphia in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
With the Celtics facing a must-win situation as they look to force a decisive Game 7 against the rival 76ers, Mazzulla has a simple message he hopes his team will heed.
"Play free, play together, play connected, play physical," Mazzulla told reporters Wednesday, per CLNS Media video. "Leave it all out there."
That's something the Celtics certainly didn't do in Game 5 with Boston completely lacking a sense of urgency throughout the contest. It was the second time this series the Celtics have lost on their home floor. When Boston dropped the series opener even with Joel Embiid not playing due to a knee injury, Mazzulla thought his team drummed up an "angry" response.
So, are the Celtics feeling that way again after an abysmal double-digit loss that brought criticism from all directions?
"I would sense a little bit of that," Mazzulla said. "I think it's more togetherness and just a clear understanding of where we're at and what we need to do to get a win."
The Celtics were in the same exact position a season ago against the Milwaukee Bucks and they might have some history on their side as well entering the pivotal Game 6.
But despite the ramifications of the game, Mazzulla doesn't plan to change his approach to motivate the Celtics as they look to band together to keep their season alive.
"It's up to all of us, a collaboration," Mazzulla said. "I think it's more about finding what does it feel like and what is it when we play at our best. And whatever that is, we have 24 hours to get to that. So, I think it's more about focusing on that than it is going out of your way to do something that might be inauthentic to the environment."
