Moments after the Celtics earned an atypical win on Tuesday night, Joe Mazzulla was asked a question about his comfort level in how they did it. The 76ers had challenged them in ways they’re not used to. The Celtics had won despite almost completely abandoning one of their strengths.
Mazzulla picked up the box score that was placed in front of him at the podium and pointed at the results.
“Pretty comfortable,” Mazzulla said. “It’s all right there. We’re very comfortable.”
On the outside, there may be a lingering perception that the Celtics rely too much on 3-pointers. But Tuesday night revealed further proof of their growth. The 76ers challenged them to get out of their usual comfort zone. They limited the Celtics from what they do best: Shoot and make 3-pointers. But they had all the answers in a convincing 117-99 win that showed how far this group has come.
The Celtics made just five 3-pointers and took only 22 attempts from long range – both season lows – but they dominated the 76ers inside, shot a season-best 34-for-37 from the free-throw line and stamped their ninth consecutive victory on defense to pull away in the fourth.
“It was good that we found different ways of winning,” Porzingis said. “Some people are a little bit worried like, oh they only shoot threes and what if they don’t fall? Tonight was a good example and we showed what we’re capable of.”
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points and Jayson Tatum flirted with a triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Celtics to this victory that could pay dividends when the playoffs come, one that Mazzulla thinks will offer a blueprint they can use to combat different defensive coverages.
“This game was probably one of our best games of the year … from the standpoint of we were able to win a different way,” Mazzulla said. “And this game showed a template of how teams are going to guard us, and it gives us another thing to practice. …
“It’s beautiful,” Mazzulla added. “Like I said, it gives us something to study, something to work on. And grateful that we were able to play that game.”
Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points for the 76ers, who are still adjusting to the absence of reigning MVP Joel Embiid, who missed his 12th consecutive game Tuesday with a knee injury that will likely keep him sidelined for another month. But they were scrappy, and gave the Celtics a valuable test.
While the Celtics ultimately figured things out, it certainly was not perfect. They struggled with the looks the Sixers threw at them. They committed seven turnovers in the first half. The Sixers dominated the shot margin, an area Mazzulla stresses. But the Celtics never wavered. They succeeded in getting to the free throw line. And by the second quarter – a period in which they took just two 3-pointers – Mazzulla said the Celtics recognized and understood what the 76ers were doing defensively.
The Sixers were switching everything defensively. They were playing physically. They were trying to keep the Celtics off-balanced with different lineups and coverages. But they found the answers. The Celtics, who entered the night taking a league-leading 46 3-point attempts per game, adjusted properly and proceeded to bludgeon the Embiid-less Sixers inside with a 64-42 paint advantage and getting to the free-throw line a season-high 37 times.
“I think it’s rewarding,” Tatum said. “We have a balanced enough team, a good enough team that we can win physical games, we can win fast-paced games, we outthink other teams, so we’ve gotta be well-rounded. There’s a bunch of different ways to win a basketball game. We’ve gotta be able to do it in every which way.”
The Celtics led by as many as 14 in the third quarter but the Sixers didn’t go away. A quick stretch of three consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter from Cameron Payne and Tobias Harris trimmed the Celtics’ lead to 91-89, forcing Mazzulla to call a timeout. The Celtics responded with a dominant 17-0 run to seal the victory as they held the Sixers scoreless for five minutes.
While the 76ers finished plus-20 in shot margin, Mazzulla was happy with how the Celtics responded by matching their physicality with one-shot defense, dominating the boards (58-28) and getting to the free-throw line at a high rate.
“As long as we keep the relationship of the game being connected, you can’t attack if you don’t defend, you can’t defend if you don’t attack, as long as we keep that relationship, we’ll be able to play against any coverage,” Mazzulla said.
Even if it means only taking 22 3-pointers.
The outside perception exists that Mazzulla wants the Celtics to take as many as threes as they can, but Tatum said that’s never been the case. “He never told us shoot 44 threes a night,” he said. “But it’s all about taking the right shots.”
On some nights, that’s taking a lot of 3-pointers. On others, like Tuesday, it meant doing it a different way.
“We need to be aware of how the opponent is defending us, and how can we fully take advantage of that,” Mazzulla said. “And so like I said, I’m not a guy – I don’t love threes, I love great shots. … This team has really grown into taking what the defense gives you every single night, and quickly getting to what that is and trying to exploit it. So that’s why I’m very grateful for this team.”
The Celtics may not have not won a game like in the past, but they’re much better equipped to do so now.
“It’s a lot of growth,” Brown said. “Credit to the coaching staff, but also credit to our guys. Every single night we see different coverages, teams choose to guard us different ways. They might switch, they might maintain, they might go small, they might go double big, everybody is playing different ways. And I guess they’re trying to figure out which is the remedy for success against us and we’re able to adjust. …
“It’s just about reading the game, and I think that we have taken tremendous steps in that regard and we’re gonna have to keep going and keep maneuvering forward, especially getting ready towards the playoffs.”
