For most of the regular season, Joe Mazzulla has famously (or infamously, depending on whether or not you’re a fan of The Three Amigos) not called a lot of timeouts. Whether it’s to halt momentum of an opposing team’s run or to draw something up for the Celtics, Boston’s head coach has instead empowered the players to problem solve and figure it out on the floor themselves.
Against the Knicks on Thursday night with the Celtics down 1 with 28.1 seconds to go in overtime, Mazzulla called timeout. Here’s what he drew up:
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 27, 2023
It resulted in a simple baseline drive by Jaylen Brown and layup that took all of four seconds to run, but it’s quietly brilliant nonetheless.