Notebook: Mazzulla ponders lineup tweaks
After surviving a scare in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Joe Mazzulla isn’t ruling out lineup tweaks for Game 2.
The Celtics coach said he would be open to using Jayson Tatum as a center in small-ball lineups after Boston struggled at times to match Indiana’s pace in Tuesday’s 133-128 overtime win at TD Garden.
“You’ve got to be ready to just go to anything and everything,” Mazzulla said after Wednesday’s practice.
Outside of bench-emptying garbage time, the Celtics have logged less than five total minutes this postseason without one of Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford or Luke Kornet on the floor. So, playing Tatum at the five would be a tactical pivot for Mazzulla.
Porzingis remains sidelined with a calf strain, however — he reportedly could return in Game 4 — and Kornet had a tough time matching up against Pacers big man Myles Turner in Game 1. During one second-quarter stretch, Turner scored 12 straight Indiana points while Kornet was in for Horford to erase a double-digit Boston lead.
The Pacers were the NBA’s highest-scoring and best-shooting team during the regular season, and head coach Rick Carlisle hasn’t been afraid to substitute liberally in the playoffs to target certain matchups.
Indiana leads all playoff teams in bench scoring and ranks second in bench minutes per game, and its reserves outscored Boston’s 30-13 in Game 1.
“With their ability to play different lineups, the way they sub … you’ve just got to be wary of going to anything and everything at any particular time,” Mazzulla said. “And it’s something our guys have done a great job of, staying open-minded to whatever makes the most sense in the game and being ready to execute.
“So, yeah, I think anything’s on the table versus a team like this because of their versatility.”
But while Mazzulla is open to altering Boston’s rotation, he believes most of his team’s Game 1 problems can be fixed by simply playing better.
“After watching the game, I would say 70% of the mistakes we made were execution issues, so the first step is fixing the execution before you go to something different,” the coach said. “That’s the most important thing, and that’s what this (Pacers) team is going to do. They’re going to test your discipline to execute on both ends of the floor over and over again.
“So I know the easier answer is to be like, ‘Oh, go to something different,’ but you’ve got to execute, and you’ve got to be disciplined. I thought there were many moments of the game where we were disciplined, and I think when we weren’t they were able to take advantage of that. So, that’s the key: mental and physical discipline.”
The Celtics trailed in the final minute Tuesday before getting a corner 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown that forced overtime and 10 points by Tatum in the extra period. They’ll look to avoid a Game 2 letdown Thursday night at TD Garden.
Holiday celebrations
Jrue Holiday’s superb Game 1 performance earned him plaudits from his teammates. Tatum said he “played unbelievable.” Jaylen Brown called him “exceptional” and “the reason we won.” Al Horford said Holiday’s contributions were “huge” on both ends of the floor.
Derrick White joined that chorus Wednesday. He and Holiday formed arguably the NBA’s top defensive backcourt this season, with both earning spots on the All-Defensive second team that was announced this week.
“It’s been amazing playing with him,” White said. “Obviously, playing against him, you know what kind of defender he is, but just seeing it night in and night out and just the way that he impacts the game without touching the basketball, he’s a special player. It’s real nice to have him on our team. He just makes up for any mistakes that anybody makes. Jrue’s usually there to make up for it.
“I don’t know how many All-Defensive teams he’s made, but he probably needs more, because he’s unreal.”
This was Holiday’s fourth consecutive All-Defensive selection and his sixth in the last seven years (three first-team, three second-team). The 33-year-old played his best game in a Celtics uniform Tuesday night, finishing with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 48 minutes.
Brown snubbed?
White said Brown, who delivered multiple game-changing defensive plays Tuesday before his dramatic game-tying three, should have joined him and Holiday on the All-Defensive team.
“JB definitely deserves it,” White said. “He was unreal this whole season, taking on that challenge. Whenever there’s a big name or a big player, he wanted the challenge. He kind of set the tone for us the whole season, and he definitely was deserving.”
Brown and Tatum both received votes but fell well short of the 10-player cutoff.