The Boston Celtics head into a decisive Game 7 after a 106-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, and head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed directly to execution issues and missed early opportunities as key turning points in the game.
“We have to find different ways to be able to create that versus different coverages,” Mazzulla said when asked about Boston’s offensive structure. “They changed their coverage throughout the series and done a good job of that.”
Boston’s offensive rhythm never fully settled, with Mazzulla pointing to early-game finishing as a major factor. “We missed how many layups and floaters in the first quarter alone? Eight, nine, ten,” he said. “We just got to execute.”
He added that those early misses altered the Celtics’ flow. “We got some great looks in the beginning of the game that we didn’t knock down. I thought that kind of made us lose our offensive feel after that.”
Philadelphia’s defensive adjustments, combined with Boston’s inconsistency, shaped the result. “We’ve done it,” Mazzulla said. “It’s here or there, but regardless we just have to recognize it. Make the play.”
Rebounding was another swing factor, especially as Boston’s early advantage faded. “Probably both,” Mazzulla said when asked about energy versus adjustment. “It was something that we could have gotten, but obviously because of the way we’ve won a few games, they’ve made an adjustment to that. So we got to adjust to that and crash harder.”
Lineup experimentation also played a role, with Mazzulla briefly shifting rotations to change momentum. “Just wanted to give the game a different feel,” he said. “All year we’ve had 14, 15 guys be able to impact winning and just wanted to give the game a different look.”
He later explained his thought process during that stretch. “That lineup gave the game a different feel and so I liked where we were at at that point.”
Looking ahead to Game 7, Mazzulla emphasized simplicity and intensity over tactical overthinking. “You have to play with a level of intensity, physicality, and it’s just willpower,” he said. “The team that wants it more will win.”
He also acknowledged the pressure swings of a seven-game series. “Whatever happened has happened and there’s nothing you can do about it now,” Mazzulla said. “At the end of the day we got a home game and we got to be ready to play.”
On adjustments and identity shifts throughout the series, he kept the focus balanced. “They found an identity,” he said of Philadelphia. “We have to be able to adjust to that identity that they found and get our identity for Game 7.”
When asked about whether momentum matters at this stage, Mazzulla dismissed long series narratives. “I think that’s part of the perspective,” he said. “We got an opportunity to win.”
With everything now set for a winner-take-all game in Boston, Mazzulla kept the message consistent throughout the night: “We just have to execute.”
