Did C's make mistake not giving Mazzulla a veteran assistant coach? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics must win Tuesday night's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat or they will be swept out of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
A sweep, or even a five-game series loss, would be a surprising end to a Celtics season that's been filled with so much excitement and potential.
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There are many reasons why the Celtics are facing elimination earlier than expected, and coaching has been a popular source of criticism. Head coach Joe Mazzulla's timeout usage and lineups have drawn scrutiny throughout the playoffs. That said, the players ultimately are responsible for executing the game plan and performing at a high level, especially in crunch time, which they've really struggled in versus the Heat.
What are the Celtics' issues right now?
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The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn joined NBC Sports Boston's "Early Edition" on Monday night, and he pinpointed a couple of problems. One of them is the Celtics not giving Mazzulla a veteran assistant amid all the coaching turnover the franchise has gone through in the last year.
"No. 1 , they just don't play defense. No. 2, I don't know how much they believe in Joe Mazzulla and what he's saying. No. 3, there's no one on the coaching staff holding them accountable because the coaching staff is very inexperienced," Washburn said. "It's not their fault. But Brad Stevens made the heinous mistake of not adding (another coach) when Damon Stoudamire left. You lose two NBA head coaches here -- Ime Udoka because of obvious circumstances, and Will Hardy goes to Utah. Damon Stoudamire, the only experienced NBA guy on your staff, takes the Georgia Tech job.
"You do nothing to replace any of those three guys, you don't add a veteran person who can tell them what to do. So they have to believe everything that Joe is saying, and maybe they just don't believe it. Maybe some guys are on one agenda, some guys feel like this is the way to win because they don't believe Joe's way to win. They're not playing defense. They're shooting too many 3s. Nobody shoots a midrange (shot) anymore. All of this stuff has gone down the drain, and that's why this locker room seems to be really fractured."
It's not easy for any team to lose three good coaches.
Hardy was a huge help to Udoka last season as an assistant, and his performance as head coach of the Utah Jazz this year was quite impressive. The Jazz exceeded expectations by a wide margin during Hardy's first season. Stoudamire was a respected coach and could relate to the players because he also played 13 seasons in the NBA.
Hiring a veteran assistant (or two) needs to be a priority for the Celtics in the offseason, regardless of who is leading the staff as the head coach.
