NBA
After a 128-102 blowout loss for Boston, Joe Mazzulla admitted there was a disconnect in the locker room after Game 3
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated22 May 2023
During the 2022-23 regular season, the Celtics were widely regarded as one of the top three teams in the league. They finished with one less loss than the Bucks who had the NBA’s best record this season. It took six games for the Heat to beat Atlanta, and seven for them to escape the 76ers. Now, the Celtics find themselves down 3-0 after a 128-102 loss last night. Head coach Joe Mazzulla admitted to a disconnect between himself and the players in the locker room after Game 3.
After one quarter, Boston was only down 30-22 to the Heat. Miami had a strong second quarter and held a 61-46 lead at the half. Boston’s biggest stars just didn’t show up in Game 3 last night. On top of that, they shot (.398) percent from the field and (.262) percent from deep.
If the Celtics do in fact get swept by the Heat, someone is going to have to pay for how their season ended. Despite getting promoted to full-time head coach this season, Joe Mazzulla’s job security does not feel safe.
"I just didn't have them ready to play"
Joe Mazzulla took the blame for Boston's Game 3 loss pic.twitter.com/ovoEhaeQHv
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2023
Do the Celtics have enough fight left in them to win Game 4 on the road tomorrow night?
Jayson Tatum earned first-team All-NBA this season and Jaylen Brown earned second-team All-NBA. That sets up Boston’s two young superstars for some massive contract extensions this offseason. Those talks may be happening sooner than the Celtics may have intended them to. Tatum and Brown combined for 26 points in Boston’s 128-102 loss in Game 3.
During his postgame press conference, Joe Mazzulla was asked if he thinks there’s a disconnect between himself and his players. This was his response.
“Yeah, it’s why I need to be better to figure out what this team needs,” – Joe Mazzulla
He was then asked why he thinks there’s a disconnect. His response was “I’m not sure”. Mazzulla and the Celtics have their backs against the wall and are facing elimination. The 34-year-old head coach also said he didn’t have his team ready to go last night and he took the blame for that. There’s only so much that Mazzulla can do to have his team prepared. It’s up to the players in the end to execute the game plan that the coaches set for that particular game.
