Joe Mazzulla Shares His Message to the Celtics Ahead of Must-Win Game 6 vs. Sixers

The Celtics met the moment in a similar situation in Milwaukee last year. Winning Game 6 in Philadelphia requires staying true to the approach that best suits them.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics face-planted on Tuesday, losing Game 5 115-103 on their home floor.

While there's room for discussion, the defending Eastern Conference champions, who added Malcolm Brogdon this summer without subtracting from their rotation, believe they're more talented than the Sixers. It's how any competitor should feel.

But that makes coming up short, with the series tied and the matchup taking place on the TD Garden parquet, even more disappointing. And what's worse than losing is the lack of energy, focus, and physicality Boston played with.

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

After a contest in which there's no debating what team demonstrated they wanted to win more, Celtics' head coach Joe Mazzulla stated, "That was the first game of the playoffs that we didn't play well, in my opinion."

He chalked it up to his team wanting to rise to the occasion so much it became counterproductive, expressing, "I think when you have the intentions of really, really wanting to win, it doesn't work out well for you sometimes."

That captures the perplexing nature of this team. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have led Boston to at least the Eastern Conference Finals in three of their first five years together. And while they came up short on the NBA's brightest stage last season, no opponent this era could provide a stiffer test and more lessons than the Golden State Warriors.

Yet, the Celtics have spent this postseason buying more time for Joel Embiid to recover from his LCL sprain, failing to finish off the Hawks at home with Dejounte Murray suspended for Game 5. Then, with this year's MVP not ready to return for the series opener, Boston also dropped that matchup at TD Garden.

The Celtics had a chance to take both games in Philadelphia. But they blew late leads in regulation and overtime in Game 4, as Brown made the mistake of doubling off James Harden, leaving him open for a corner three that erased the visitors' two-point advantage.

JAMES HARDEN GAME 4 GAME-WINNER 😱 pic.twitter.com/JCOwvlDYNS

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 7, 2023

And despite having 19 seconds to counter, Boston didn't even get a shot off, with Tatum taking too long to initiate the offense and Mazzulla keeping his timeouts in his pocket.

While this author thinks the first-year head coach should've at least signaled for one upon seeing how slowly his team was moving, seemingly in shellshock after what happened on the defensive end, if the ball got to Marcus Smart a tick faster, the Celtics would've prevailed.

So now, here they are, a battle-tested team consistently struggling to capitalize on opportunities tilted to their advantage. It might be at the root of why their season ends on Thursday.

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

But it was in a comparable situation last year that Tatum delivered the best performance of his career, a 46-point masterpiece in Milwaukee, to force a Game 7 in Boston. Maybe the Celtics meet the moment in this Game 6 like they did that night against the Bucks.

On the eve of their must-win matchup in the City of Brotherly Love, Mazzulla shared the themes of the message he plans on delivering to his team before they take the court.

"Play free; play together; play connected; play physical and leave it all out there."

Even if it's dressed up more when the time comes, it's not exactly Herb Brooks' "You were born for this" speech before the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics when U.S. men's hockey pulled off a monumental upset over a seemingly unstoppable Soviet Union team.

But the Celtics don't need a rah-rah speech of that nature. They aren't at their best when their emotions are through the roof, and this team doesn't operate like Kobe Bryant, grinding his teeth as he stares down his opponent upon making one clutch shot after another.

This group's at its best when it's loose, free, and focused on what it needs to do to win the play at hand, not when it takes its foot off the gas or is frustrated the opposition isn't willing to wave the white flag. And not when it tries to act in a way that gets them out of character, like revving the emotions too high to perform at their best in Game 5.

The Celtics have a lot of experience in matchups like the one they'll be in on Thursday. That doesn't always mean they'll handle it properly and prevail. But if they don't meet the moment in Game 6, their season ends, and the questions about their roster, including core members of the team's future in Boston, and whether the NBA's youngest active head coach (34 years old) gets to grow from what he learned in a difficult situation he got thrust into shortly before training camp, become the focus.

Further Reading

Celtics Share Their Perspective on Failing to Meet the Moment in Game 5 Loss to Sixers

Here's What Stood Out in Game 5 Loss: Celtics Falls Flat as Sixers Push Them to Brink of Elimination

Jaylen Brown Shares His Evaluation of Celtics' Late-Game Offense He Mostly Wasn't Involved in

Joe Mazzulla Explains Why He Didn't Take a Timeout in Celtics' Game 4 Loss to Sixers

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Game 4 Loss to Sixers: Boston Falls One Play Short of 3-1 Lead

Joe Mazzulla Sheds Light on Keys to Celtics' Defense Stifling Sixers in Game 3 Win

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Game 3 Win vs. Sixers: Boston Shows Its Championship-Mettle, Takes 2-1 Series Lead

Celtics Praise Jaylen Brown for Setting Tone in Game 2 Win vs. Sixers: 'It's as Good of a Game as I've Ever Seen Him Play'

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Game 2 Win vs. Sixers: Renewed Defensive Commitment, Three-Point Barrage Even the Series

Film Room: Recalibrating Celtics' Defense for Game 2 Against Sixers