Robert Williams Opens Up About Joe Mazzulla’s Timeout Strategy

Joe Mazzulla is facing a huge test in his first postseason as an NBA head coach, and one glaring issue has become apparent for the Celtics.

The Boston head coach often will hold his timeouts even if the opposing team is on a dominant run. The point is for players to figure things out on their own, which coaches like Phil Jackson and Steve Kerr also have employed for their teams.

It has worked for the Celtics against inferior opponents, but it has not been an effective strategy in the playoffs. But it’s one that players have backed, including center Robert Williams III.

“He wants us to take full responsibility,” Williams told Abby Chin on Wednesday, per NBC Sports Boston video. “He’ll tell us sometimes, ‘I’m not going to call a timeout just because y’all made some stupid mistakes.’ Own up to it, see what the problem is.”

On how often Mazzulla is critical of the team during film sessions: “All the time, anyway he can. There’s not really any sugarcoating on the players or on the coaching staff. When someone messes up, everyone is vocal enough to address it. …”

Boston hopes the correct lessons were learned from Game 1’s loss Monday. Tipoff for Wednesday’s Game 2 is scheduled at 8 p.m. ET.