Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla explained his decision not to use the team's final timeout late in Game 2 against the New York Knicks, a game his team lost 91-90. The choice came before the Celtics' final possession, which failed to produce a shot and sealed the Knicks' win.
With 12.7 seconds remaining and Boston trailing by one point, the Celtics retrieved the ball after Knicks guard Jalen Brunson made two free throws. Instead of stopping play to advance the ball and draw a play, Mazzulla allowed his players to initiate the offense from the opposite end of the court.
The possession concluded with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum driving to the basket before Knicks guard Mikal Bridges secured a steal. The turnover prevented Boston from attempting a potential game-winning shot as time expired.
After the game, Joe Mazzulla elaborated on his strategy. "Had one \timeout left," Mazzulla said. "Got a good look on the same exact play 20 seconds earlier, tried to execute the exact same thing, they did a better job of their lower pickup point and we weren't able to get the advantage that we had on that last Tatum dunk."
Mazzulla also noted that letting the play run live prevented the Knicks from substituting players, specifically mentioning the desire to keep Brunson on the court given his defensive abilities.
Minutes earlier, Tatum had successfully driven coast-to-coast for a dunk using the same action Mazzulla referenced. This score gave the Celtics a brief lead before the Knicks responded.
The loss puts the Celtics in a 0-2 series deficit as the Eastern Conference semifinal moves to New York. Game 3 is scheduled to be played at Madison Square Garden.
