Trailing by 19 with 36 seconds remaining, Orlando Magic reserve Admiral Schofield saw an open lane to the bucket, and he took it.
Schofield, who had totaled just 22 minutes of game action on the season prior to Friday night, thought he had a chance at an easy dunk in garbage time... Until he was met at the rim by Lamar Stevens.
Though meaningless in the grand scheme, that block by Stevens didn’t go unnoticed by his head coach.
“One of my favorite plays of the game,” Mazzulla said when asked about the rejection postgame. “To me, it talks to the character of the locker room. It talks to the character of that group to just keep playing. I love that he did that.”
That “group” Mazzulla is referring to is Boston’s “Stay-Ready Group” – and that block by Stevens in the waning seconds of a blowout game is an embodiment of how they play the game.
More than a quarter of the way into the season, the rotation is set. When the Celtics are fully healthy, Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Luke Kornet will round out Boston’s rotation along with the top-six of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Al Horford.
But over the course of an 82-game season, injuries and rest days inevitably pop up, and that’s when Boston needs its “Stay-Ready Group” to step up – and so far this season, they have.
“Those guys probably have the toughest job in the league, never knowing when they’re going in, and the four or five that we have, have done a tremendous job of coming in and working every single day,” Mazzulla said postgame Thursday. “So, when it is their time, I trust them, and they are each going to get the opportunity to do so, and bring a different dynamic to the game.”
The group consists of Stevens, Oshae Brissett, Dalano Banton, Neemias Queta, and Svi Mykhailiuk, each of whom has stepped up and answered the call when needed, taking advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.
“I see the work that they put in every morning, every day, on off days. Getting their reads in, getting their conditioning in, playing pick up. Those guys are really, really good. They’ve been in the league a while,” Jayson Tatum said when discussing the group.
“I tip my hat to those guys every single day for just staying with it. I know it can be tough. We all love this game, and everybody wants an opportunity, but as a professional, it's your job to just stay ready, and I think they do that every single night.”
With Porzingis (calf), Horford (rest), and Kornet (adductor) sidelined on the second night of a back-to-back, the excuses were on the table for the Celtics. They could have chalked this up as a “Scheduled loss” or blamed the injury bug. Instead, their stars showed out, and they got contributions from their “Stay-Ready Group,” as they made the most of their opportunities once again.
“I think it starts with the leadership of Derrick [White], Jrue [Holiday], Jayson [Tatum] and Jaylen [Brown],” Mazzulla said postgame. “And then, I think it’s a real testament of Sam [Hasuer], Payton [Pritchard], Neemy [Neemias Queta], Oshae [Brissett], Svi [Mykhailiuk], and Lamar [Stevens], guys that just work at it every day, and them being excited for the opportunity that they have. And to me, it affirms our system, it affirms the daily work they put in, and then it affirms the character of the locker room.”
By the start of the second quarter, everyone available had already checked in for Boston, and for the most part, every one of them had a positive impact on the game.
Stevens, who made his first spot start as a member of the Celtics, finished with season-highs in points (8), rebounds (3), steals (2), and blocks (1), while Brissett scored 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and changed the game with his high-energy plays.
Meanwhile, Quetta was a beast down low, snagging two offensive rebounds and registering more blocks (3) than the Magic had as a team (2). Queta’s three blocks are a new career-high.
“I have no hesitation of going with any of those guys on any day because I see what they do daily,” Mazzulla said. “So you almost want opportunities like this to affirm their work ethic and professionalism.”
Make no mistake about it, Friday night was a big win, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of the “Stay-Ready Group.”
“We had a bunch of guys out on a back-to-back against a team that had been kicking our ass the last four times that we played. So I think this was the biggest game so far,” Brown added postgame.
“Next guy up mentality, that’s it. A lot of guys put in a lot of work behind closed doors, so it’s great for them that when they get that opportunity, they come out and they ball.”
Oftentimes in sports, the term “Next man up mentality” is used too casually, but this group exemplifies that saying.
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