The Celtics appeared to be in one thing of a no-win proposition as they arrived at TD Garden on Thursday.
They might beat the Pistons. So what? The greatest crew within the NBA is meant to win in opposition to a crew that entered on a 27-game dropping streak. If they misplaced? Well, that may be embarrassing, to say the least.
Joe Mazzulla, although, took exception to that suggestion. After the Celtics narrowly averted the unthinkable, overcoming an early 21-point deficit and surviving in time beyond regulation to ship the Pistons to their twenty eighth consecutive loss, the coach denied the notion that this was a recreation he simply needed to recover from with, or had nothing to realize from.
“Why do we have nothing to gain from winning a basketball game?” Mazzulla responded. “We truly realized extra from that recreation than we did in all probability enjoying the 4 video games on the West Coast journey. That’s a chance to construct a mindset and toughness. So to me, it’s like we have now the whole lot to realize on this, and also you discuss in regards to the In-Season Tournament creating one thing, how in regards to the stage of stress and stress and nervousness that you simply felt in that enviornment at the moment?
“Like to me, we gained a ton from tonight’s game. I thought it was an awesome opportunity. We said that at halftime, like, we have an opportunity to build toughness, to build a mindset.”
Mazzulla pressured to the Celtics earlier than Thursday’s recreation that they will’t have expectations for a way a recreation goes to go. From the skin, it seemed like a straightforward recreation. A cakewalk. But not the whole lot is what it appears. Despite their report, the Pistons had been enjoying laborious and dropping shut video games. The C’s had been enjoying their first recreation house after an extended street journey, which is all the time tough. Mazzulla knew the Pistons would play with much more desperation and energy given the opponent.
The Celtics nonetheless didn’t begin effectively as they lacked power and energy within the first half. But that’s a part of constructing the mindset and toughness that Mazzulla needs to create. He embraced the problem and the distinctive circumstances.
“I’m not worried about what happened in the first half,” Mazzulla mentioned.” That’s going to occur every so often. I’m extra nervous about how we reply to it. It says extra about our guys, how we responded to the second half than the way it went within the first half. We’re simply not going to play excellent basketball on a regular basis, so to have that expectation, it’s simply not there.”
For Mazzulla, the sport served as one other worthwhile lesson for the Celtics. Another instance to clarify they will’t anticipate a recreation to go a sure method, and play with the identical constant mindset whatever the circumstances.
“I think if you manage your expectations, it allows for you to execute and play with a free mind, and that’s what I told the guys before shootaround,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I used to be like, ‘You can’t have any expectations to the way you assume this recreation goes to go, as a result of we simply should be able to adapt and do what’s essential to win the sport. …
“I expected this to be one of the hardest games of the year, and I like just how our guys responded to it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com