Celtics Face Historic Struggles in Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Boston Celtics are struggling, facing a historic run of poor shooting in their Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. Despite these shooting woes not entirely falling on head coach Joe Mazzulla, his puzzling decisions in high-pressure moments have left Boston in a dire 2-0 series deficit after a gut-wrenching 91-90 defeat in Game 2.

Crucial Final Seconds Slip Away

With just 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics were in a position to potentially win the game, trailing by a single point after Jalen Brunson scored two free throws. Typically, teams utilize a timeout to advance the ball to half court in such situations. However, Mazzulla chose to forgo the timeout and let his struggling All-Star, Jayson Tatum, attempt to recreate a previous coast-to-coast finish.

Mazzulla defended his choice, stating, "Got a good look on the exact same play 20 seconds earlier. We weren’t able to get the advantage that we had on the last Tatum dunk." But this attempt ultimately backfired.

Questionable Strategy Costs the Celtics

Forcing Tatum to maneuver the full length of the court wasted critical seconds, allowing the Knicks’ defense to prepare. Tatum only reached the paint with under five seconds remaining, facing a wall of defenders just as Mikal Bridges blocked his shot, sealing the Celtics’ fate.

Mazzulla acknowledged the time constraints, admitting, "You don’t know that at the point JT was driving left, he thought he had a good look but didn’t shoot it. Ran out of time."

History Repeats Itself for Mazzulla

This wasn’t the first time Mazzulla has faced scrutiny for mismanagement in crucial game moments. In his rookie postseason during a Game 4 match against the Philadelphia 76ers, he hesitated to call a timeout, leading to a failed shot attempt and ultimately, a loss.

Two years later, Mazzulla seems to have not learned his lesson, placing his players in a challenging spot in a quarter where they shot just 20 percent from the field.

Team Accountability is Key Moving Forward

The Celtics know they need to improve collectively to bounce back in the series. Jaylen Brown commented, "Our defense was solid; we just didn’t convert on offense when it mattered most." With the series on the line, all eyes are on Mazzulla and the entire team to step it up and turn this situation around.