Magic Johnson, NBA Twitter Call Out Celtics Coach for Not Using Timeout in OT

The coach held his timeouts in Game 4, and NBA fans weren’t happy.

The Celtics suffered a disappointing loss to the 76ers during Game 4, having battled back from down 16 points to force overtime before James Harden hit a late, game-winning three. 

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla had two timeouts in hand during the final possession of Sunday’s game but opted against using one. Instead, he let the Celtics’ offense bring the ball up the court and run a play, which resulted in Jayson Tatum driving to the basket and dishing the ball to Marcus Smart, who was just late on a three-point attempt to win the game. 

The decision from Mazzulla to hold onto his timeouts drew plenty of reactions from fans on Twitter. Even Magic Johnson weighed in with some critical comments on the final possession. The general consensus among those watching from home was that Mazzulla made an error in not calling timeout, and ultimately ended up costing the Celtics a chance to take a 3–1 lead.

I thought Celtic’s Head Coach Mazzulla made a mistake not calling a timeout and setting up a play in the final seconds of the game.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 7, 2023

Joe Mazzulla realizing he can't save those two timeouts for Game 5. pic.twitter.com/O5qzMYpdpq

— Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) May 7, 2023

Hey Joe Mazzulla, the reason you call timeout is to advance the ball and save one second. pic.twitter.com/HxJssMNybN

— Per Sources (@PerSources) May 7, 2023

The series is tied up at 2–2, with Game 5 to be played in Boston on Tuesday.