When it comes to basketball, Joe Mazzulla’s likes are simple. At the top of the list is winning. Somewhere amidst the math and three-pointers, there’s also a place for the valuable lessons learned in games.
So when a Colby Jones four-foot tip shot fell short, and the final buzzer sounded among a roar of cheers from the TD Garden crowd, it was no surprise to see Joe Mazzulla emphatically celebrating on the Celtics’ bench, pumping his fists and clapping in excitement as his team eked out a 101-100 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.
While displays of emotion aren’t uncommon for the second-year bench boss, there was an extra spark behind his reaction this time around. Although Friday was essentially a meaningless game for the Celtics in the grand scheme of things, it clearly meant something to Mazzulla.
Heading into his second season at the helm, Mazzulla had specific areas he wanted to improve upon. Among those was a goal to coach his entire roster, one through 18 — or, in the case of the 2023-24 Celtics, one through 17 — admitting that he felt he had “lost touch” with the “Stay-Ready Group” the previous season.
Since the first week of the season, Mazzulla has stuck to that objective. Following the third game of the season, Mazzulla held a reserve-only film session after they struggled in the fourth quarter of a blowout against the Wizards.
A few weeks later, with his team up by 27 points with 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter against the Raptors, he challenged an out-of-bounds call ruled against Oshae Brissett after the reserves pleaded with him to call for the green light special — much to the chagrin of Darko Rajaković and Dennis Schroder.
The Celtics and Kings find themselves in entirely different scenarios.
While the Celtics prioritize health and rest management, Mazzulla enjoys the liberty of experimenting with fresh strategies that could prove beneficial in the postseason. Consequently, Mazzulla views this as a chance to recognize and reward his bench players with extended playing time.
On the other hand, the Sacramento Kings are fighting hard to avoid the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference – which, right now, would have them traveling to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.
The contrasting circumstances of these two teams set the stage for the type of lessons Mazzulla aims to impart and provided an ideal opportunity to recognize and reward his “Stay-Ready Group.”
At the 9:24 mark in the fourth quarter, the Celtics led by 14. Rookie Jordan Walsh replaced Jayson Tatum and joined Payton Pritchard, Svi Mykhailiuk, Xavier Tillman, and Luke Kornet — a lineup that had not played together this season.
Against Sacramento’s regulars, Boston’s reserves pushed the lead to a game-high 19 points, prompting Mazzulla to rely on them to finish the game – though that was easier said than done.
Sacramento responded with a monster 21-1 run, retaking the lead on a De’Aaron Fox three with 27 seconds remaining. Over that stretch, Mazzulla never flinched. He didn’t even look at starters and simply allowed his “Stay-Ready Group” to work through it.
“This is fun. This is awesome,” Mazzulla said on his thoughts as he watched the lead dwindle. “Couldn’t have simulated a better environment. Stress. Pressure. Chaos. The perfect environment to execute in. That’s why, when those guys are in, you hold them to the same standard you old everybody else. I thought they did a great job just making plays.”
On the ensuing possession following the Fox go-ahead three, Sam Hauser weaved through traffic looking for the go-ahead bucket on a driving floater. However, Keegan Murray was there to deny his attempt. It was Hauser’s 17th miss of the night, as the sharpshooter shot an atrocious 1-of-18 (0.7%) from the field.
“You couldn’t tell by his effort defensively that he wasn’t shooting the ball well on offense,” Mazzulla said. “He probably got pissed at himself that he missed, but that’s a huge component, is to be able to not be affected by it to where you can’t execute other parts of your job. So, I think that was really fun to see that in him.”
It would have been easy for Hauser to give up on the play and succumb to the rough night, but he stuck with it. He poked the ball away from Murray and tipped it to Tillman, who drilled a floater that ended up being the decider.
“It felt good,” Tillman said with a smile when discussing the floater postgame. “As soon as it left my hand, I knew it was good.”
It was far from pretty, and it took three misses from Sacramento in the final five seconds, but still, the Celtics held on and won the game, providing invaluable lessons for a group that seldom sees the floor in those situations.
“I feel like it’s important,” Mazzulla said postgame on the decision to keep the all-reserves lineup on the floor. “Those guys are no different than anybody else. They’ve won games for us in the past. They’ve started games for us. Everybody gets treated to the same level, the highest level. You have to be able to win games with different guys. I felt like it was important. In that particular moment, they earned the right to do whatever they can to win the game because of the work they put in. I had no problem doing that.”
True to his word, Mazzulla has kept his “Stay-Ready Group” engaged all season. It’s not easy as a reserve to never know when you are going to play – quite literally having to “stay ready” whenever your number is called – but that task is a little easier under a coach like Mazzulla.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Tillman said on Mazzulla. “It makes it easy for us to know that there is only one job when we go out there, and that is to win. How ever you can impact that game. That’s your job. It makes it easy when you have a coach who, no matter what, wants to win.”
You never know who may be needed in a pressure situation. Although they barely hung on, the Celtics walked out of TD Garden with a win and gained valuable experience on the way — two of Mazzulla’s favorite things —while also validating the hard work the “Stay-Ready Group” has put in this season.
“All of those guys have played a significant role in winning games the entire season. When guys have been injured, they stepped up,” Mazzulla said postgame. “Everybody on that floor started a game for us this year or played significant minutes. It’s just a testament to them. Whoever is on the floor, I always feel like we have a chance to win.”
Props to Mazzulla for braving the challenge and giving his players the platform to demonstrate their worth. While this almost certainly wouldn't happen under regular circumstances, credit Mazzulla for being willing to experiment and trust his guys. That doesn't go unnoticed, even by the starters.
“It was pretty cool,” Kristaps Porzingis said on the bench closing the game out. “It’s good for our team chemistry. Those kind of moments. Seeing Joe all hyped up on the sidelines was pretty cool. That was a good win for us.”
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