Celtics use 76ers as crash test dummies in latest potentially unintentional experiment

Joe Mazzulla hates breaks. He said it before All-Star weekend. He Boston Celtics The coach would rather work hard. But while he hates vacations as much as Dwight Schrute, he made sure to use his forced vacation to the fullest.

“So I have a list of 10 to 12 things we need to improve on as a team,” Mazzulla said just before the All-Star break. “And then I’ll look at the game schedule and find out when those things become themed.

“When we need to institute them and how we can address them [them], whether it’s practice or target practice, which makes those issues important to where we’re trying to get to. So I will definitely plan for it.”

Mazzulla was planning experiments.

Simply put, the Celtics coach astutely admitted that he looked at the team’s upcoming schedule, saw which games might work best for certain lessons, and prepared accordingly.

Three games into the post-All-Star break schedule and the Celtics are already in the lab.

Boston’s victories against the Chicago Bulls and The New York Knicks They were more focused on adjustment than on experimental ones. They identified problems and addressed them as the game progressed, ironing out Nikola Vucevic’s post dominance and the nuances of Jalen Brunson’s pick-n-roll. In each game they covered the holes and achieved two victories.

His victory over Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night provided the clearest picture of Mazzula’s trials. Boston shot just 22 3-pointers (seven its lowest total of the season) but managed to win an 18 point victory about the Sixers.

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Yes, Philadelphia did everything it could to prevent Boston from making it rain hay and playing small without Joel Embiid. But while the game plan may have called for a light three-point night, setting a season-low seven completed attempts signaled a willingness to adapt. What’s more, I want to do it.

“I think it’s good to have teams that play us in different ways,” Jaylen Brown said. “Like you said, tonight they took away the three-point line from us. The next game, other teams could enter the zone and try to stop you. Other teams could change everything. As a student of the game, you accept the challenge.”

Led by Brown, who finished the night a whopping 10 of 11 in the paint, Boston shot 24 of 30 (80.0%) in the restricted area. They got 12 more shots at the rim than the 76ers.

Boston also shot 37 free throws, tying its season high. But the most interesting thing about his success with the charity stripe is that the other night of 37 free throws was the same game as his lowest number from the previous season in three-point attempts: the November 24 loss to the Orlando Magic.

The Magic took on the Celtics with great physicality at the line, clogging things up and forcing Boston to stray from their usual game plan.

While it may not have been on Mazzulla’s mind as the Celtics have emphasized a game-by-game mentality this season, it’s hard to imagine his issues with the Orlando loss not being one of his 10 or 12 items.

“Yes, we only shot 22 three-pointers. That’s not like us,” Jayson Tatum said. “But I think we did a good job of recognizing that they’re obviously a lot smaller than normal. So I’m taking advantage to get to the rim tonight.”

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Even if Mazzulla didn’t come to the 76ers game ready to experiment, Nick Nurse and company gave him the opportunity to do so.

In Boston it is more comfortable to drive and kick. They shoot a lot of threes because they have the talent for it, and with players like Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser roaming the arc, opposing teams often have a hard time keeping up.

But when the nurse decided to block that avenue, Mazzulla did his best Dexter impression and put on his metaphorical white coat.

The Celtics focused on attacking interior mismatches, getting 12 free throws from Porzingis and helping Tatum and Brown dominate the driving game. Once Boston found a rhythm and stopped giving up offensive rebounds, Philadelphia was done.

“It’s beautiful,” Mazzulla said of winning the game and losing most of the core metrics. “Yes, it is beautiful. Like I said, it just gives us something to study. It gives us something to work on. AND [I’m] “I’m grateful we were able to play that game.”

Mazzulla has become synonymous with three-pointers. From his exchanges with reporters about the team’s high attempt numbers to the backlash the team receives on social media when they have a tough night from afar.

But a three-point offense has never been the goal. “He never told us to make 44 threes a night,” Tatum said with a smile. “But it’s about taking the right photo and respecting everyone’s space.”

Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

Three-pointers are obviously a crucial part of the offense in today’s game, but Mazzulla loves quality above all else. It just so happens that the Celtics are elite at generating 3-pointers.

“I don’t love all three. I love good shots,” Mazzulla said. “So if all five of them were going to be in KP, and they were going to be in a fall or if we were going to have two on one for three, then we would film this. If they are going to change and the mismatches are going to be in the post or on the perimeter to dribble, then we are going to shoot for that.

“And if we get in the paint and they don’t help, we have to finish at the rim. If they get in the paint and help, and we kick it out, then we’ll get it.”

Heading into Tuesday night, the Celtics were 0-3 when they made 10 or fewer 3-pointers. But after making just five, they broke that spell. They proved capable of winning without the triple ball, probably marking one of the elements of Mazzulla’s inventory 10-12.

“I think it’s gratifying that we have a balanced enough team, a good enough team that we can win physical games, we can win fast-paced games, we can outthink other teams,” Tatum said. “So, we have to be complete. There are many different ways to win a basketball game and we have to be able to do it in all ways.”

Whether intentionally or not, Boston has been treating its opponents like the dummies that car companies use to ensure safety in the event of an accident.

Mazzulla is the guy behind the glass with the clipboard, the safety metrics indicate playoff goals, the Celtics are the car, and on Tuesday night, the Sixers were the crash test dummy.