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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla focused on controllable details after his team’s 111-97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
“A little bit of both,” Mazzulla said when asked about the breakdown. “You lose a quarter by 11, that’s tough to come back from in a playoff game.”
The Celtics were outscored significantly in the second quarter, a stretch Mazzulla identified as decisive in shaping the outcome.
“I think they had six or seven offensive rebounds in the second quarter that they converted for either layups or three-point shots,” he said. “That puts more pressure on your D.”
Boston shot 39.3% from the field and just 13-of-47 from three-point range, limiting its ability to recover despite generating quality looks.
“I thought we got some good looks,” Mazzulla said. “We just didn’t convert offensively.”
Philadelphia capitalized on those misses, shooting 47.8% overall and hitting 19 three-pointers to even the series at 1-1.
Mazzulla also pointed to specific defensive lapses, including perimeter coverage against Quentin Grimes.
“I thought some of the other stuff like you said the Grimes threes were important,” he said. “We did a good job on him in game one. He made us in game two.”
The Celtics coach emphasized that improvement must come from collective execution rather than isolated adjustments.
“It’s all five guys,” Mazzulla said. “It’s being physical at the point of attack. It’s being in the right position from our centers.”
Andre Drummond’s screening also created challenges for Boston’s defense throughout the game.
“That’s one of the best things he does is his ability to screen,” Mazzulla said. “It’s knowing where and when and how we shift from pick and roll.”
Rookie V.J. Edgecombe added another layer of difficulty with his shot-making and spacing.
“If you do, you just have to understand and know what’s on the other side of that and what comes with that,” Mazzulla said about adjusting coverage. “That’s the balance.”
Edgecombe finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the first rookie since 1998 to reach that mark in a playoff game.
Mazzulla stressed that offensive and defensive execution are connected, especially in playoff settings.
“The game’s connected in that way,” he said. “When you have room for error, you want to be able to rely on both sides of the ball.”
Despite Boston briefly cutting the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia responded with an 11-0 run to regain control.
Mazzulla returned to the same theme when summarizing the loss.
“Just little things,” he said. “Again, I thought we played some good offense. We just didn’t convert offensally.”
The series now shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3, where Boston will look to address the details that proved costly in Game 2.
