Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla explained why he decided not to call a timeout before the team’s final possession of regulation or overtime during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.
Sixers star James Harden hit a 12-foot floater with 15.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 107 and Mazzulla decided not to call for a break. The Celtics’ possession ended with Marcus Smart hitting the front rim on a three-point attempt.
In the extra period, Harden again came up clutch, drilling the game-winning three-pointer with 18.2 seconds remaining to give Philadelphia a 116-115 victory. Boston was again left with ample time (and the option of using a timeout), but Mazzulla let his guys play.
Smart slowly and nonchalantly dribbled past halfcourt and fed the ball to Jayson Tatum with only eight seconds to go, and his body facing away from the basket and well behind the three-point line. Tatum began driving to the basket with just three seconds left and kicked out to Smart with less than one second on the game clock.
Smart got a decent look and hit his attempt from beyond the arc, but it came after the horn, leading to a fairly quick review and celebration inside Wells Fargo Center.
With the series now tied at two games apiece, Game 5 is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Boston.
