The Boston Celtics were hopeful they could score a huge home victory on Monday night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers and starting the second round of the playoffs with a statement victory.
In the end, they fell to the Sixers even without Joel Embiid and the new series now stands at 1-0.
Following the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla talked about one of the biggest problems his team had on Monday: turnovers.
When asked why the Celtics struggled so much with these sloppy mistakes, he was honest.
“I gotta be better at play-calling and getting into us our spacing quicker, it’s from that,” Mazzulla said.
Joe Mazzulla provides some insight on what he believed caused the Celtics to struggle with turnovers vs. Philly #BleedGreen #BrotherlyLove #PHIvsBOS #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/cEIL3aKTC3
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 2, 2023
“We were caught in between two-on-one with a clear shot and a good look but tried to get a great look. Sometimes, you just can’t pass up good looks,” he added.
“It’s a little bit on me,” Mazzulla concluded, adding that the players need the freedom to shoot the ball when they have a clear chance at a bucket.
When you compare the turnovers between Boston and Philadelphia, it’s a startling difference.
The Sixers only gave up 6 turnovers while the Celtics had 16.
Considering the game was only lost by four points, those 16 looked even worse on Tuesday morning.
Mazzulla is a smart coach and he has a very talented team so there are few people who are counting the Celtics out after a tough start.
Many are predicting that the Celtics are going to come back surging in Game 2.
But they will need to find their rhythm again.
Additionally, they will definitely need to get a better handle on the ball because they were practically giving points away with the number of turnovers they committed.
There are many questions swirling about Game 2 with the biggest being if Embiid will return for his Sixers.
The other thing people are wondering is how Boston will respond to such a lackluster opening game.
NEXT: Al Horford Had An Alarming Admission After Celtics Loss
