Karalis: Five thoughts on the Celtics with their season on the line, including missing Damon Stoudamire

PHILADELPHIA -- The Celtics are back at the Wells Fargo Center tonight, hoping to repeat last season’s feat of winning a road Game 6 in the semifinals to stay alive after a Game 5 home loss.

Here are a few thoughts about the Celtics and their situation, and whether I think they can pull this thing off.

THEY MISS DAMON STOUDAMIRE

It turns out the injury that could derail Boston’s season is the one suffered by Joe Mazzulla during a pickup game with coaches earlier this season. When he sat out a few games, Stoudamire took over, and that, he told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, he got the itch to coach again. 

Now, the only coach on the staff with significant NBA experience is recruiting for Georgia Tech instead of standing by should Mazzulla get a couple techs. Stoudamire was a valuable voice for Mazzulla and for players like Marcus Smart. I can’t help but think that Stoudamire would have reacted strongly from the bench at the end of Game 4 when the Celtics were milking the clock for no reason.

The brain drain from the sideline has been significant over the past year. Losing Stoudemire and Will Hardy, along with the Ime Udoka scandal, without replacing anyone, hurt the Celtics. 

Mazzulla is a smart guy and he knows basketball. He understands the league and is challenging the notion of how things should be done. I don’t agree with everything, but I still think the guy knows what he’s doing. 

I think two things hurt him. First, and most obviously, it’s his lack of experience. It’s hard to anticipate anything when you have barely been through anything. It’s hard to lean on instincts when you don’t know what the danger is. That's part of why he needs some experience on the sidelines. Udoka didn't because he’d been in the league for decades in some capacity. He’d seen a lot. Mazzulla is still picking things up. 

Secondly, I think Mazzulla gets a little too focused on the sidelines. He’s a big believer in the details, and getting those right in order to get the bigger issues right. That's a good approach that has mostly worked in the big picture, but I believe he has some blinders on during the games as he focuses on the small details of the game. I think Mazzulla needs to pull back and look at the big picture a little bit more. 

I think that's why he didn’t recognize what should be happening on the last possession of Game 4. I think he got so caught up in the positioning of guys and executing the play that he forgot about the big picture of extending the game. 

I feel like Stoudemire might have said something in that moment to at least spur the action or get the timeout called. I think his experience is sorely missed. 

THREE POINT HAPPY

People point to timeouts and substitutions as reasons why Mazzulla is being out-coached. But I point to plays like this: 

This is a nice illustration of a defensive strategy to switch late on Jayson Tatum and keep him from getting to the rim. The issue I have with this strategy is that Marcus Smart isn’t just cutting to the basket to make them pay for it. If you look at the first couple of clips, Smart should just dash to the hoop as soon as he sees his defender turn his head. 

This would destroy the Sixers' coverage in an instant, and doing it two or three times would get Doc Rivers to scrap it altogether. 

But the reliance on the 3-pointer and forever staying spaced has Smart searching out a spot on the perimeter instead of making the right play. 

This is both how the modern NBA works, and poor coaching. This is where layups can be had, and that Boston isn’t even looking for cuts on plays like this is a true failure. 

Uptempo basketball and cutting when the defense isn’t paying attention to you are staples of the game. 

STICK WITH IT 

That said, the Celtics still need to shoot and generate good 3-pointers. They need to probe and drive (and not pass out of layups) first and then get it to their shooters, but they need to keep shooting. 

This is just how this team is built. The habits have been learned. Their best chance is to keep executing how they have gone all season and stick with the formula. 

NO ADJUSTMENTS OTHER THAN ATTITUDE

A lot of people have been calling for changes in the starting lineup, but I don’t think that's necessary. Frankly, I don’t think anything is necessary other than playing how they normally play, but better and faster. 

I wrote in March about how the team’s pace dictates its success, and I still believe that to be true now. Playing faster, getting cross-matches, and taking advantage of the mismatches running creates are the way to win. 

Sure there are little lineup tweaks that need to happen. Malcolm Brogdon shouldn’t be on James Harden. It’d also be nice if he passed it to Robert Williams every once in a while. So finding the right minutes for him would help. 

But most of this boils down to changing their attitudes, playing with more pace, and hitting shots. They just have to want to do those things and understand that if they don’t, they’ll be joining the Bruins on the golf course.

But if they do, winning two in a row will be a piece of cake. 

UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS

I’m uncomfortable with the level of calling for Udoka there has been lately. Sorry, but basketball isn’t so important that we gloss over what he did in Boston. 

The reports of an improper relationship with a subordinate, using his power within the organization to intimidate her, are serious. He was dismissed for a reason. 

So I’m not going to pine for Udoka. He did something wrong and he paid the price. Yes, he was good for the team, but he’s gone and that's that. Move on.