It was a risky move for Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to go back to a double big lineup putting Al Horford and Robert Williams III in the starting lineup for a must-win Game 6 of their East semis series with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, but it paid dividends with a win, and veteran point guard Marcus Smart couldn’t be happier about it. “I was ecstatic about it,” said the Flower Mound native postgame via CLNS Media.
“To be able to have Rob in there, he changes the game a lot, being able to have a lob threat, a rim threat, to be able to protect the rim on the other end,” added Smart. “He’s huge for us, and I was proud to have him on the court.”
“That just goes to show Joe (Mazzula)’s learning, just like all of us,” continued the Oklahoma State alum. I know he’s been killed a lot – rightfully so.”
Celtics Lab 190: Boston snatches victory from the jaws of defeat in Game 6 with Greg Brueck-Cassoli https://t.co/C2ffhAE1I2
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 12, 2023
“He needs to make some adjustments, and he did that, and that’s just all you can ask for; just continue to be the best that he can be. And it takes a full team effort.”
The candor on where Mazzulla is in terms of getting a feel for high-level playoff coaching might have taken many of us aback, but with the first-year coach learning the finer details of his position on the fly, Smart’s comments are likely more indicative of a solid internal relationship for the team than of any unease finding its way to the press inadvertently.
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