Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla let out a damning admission after Boston went down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals following Sunday night’s blowout loss to the Miami Heat.
After the 128-102 loss, in which the Celtics went down by as much as 33 points after dropping the first two games of the series at home, Mazzulla, 34, was asked if he believes there is a disconnect between him and the team – and, candidly, answered with a yes.
“Yeah, it’s why I need to be better to figure out what this team needs,” Mazzulla told reporters.
When asked what the team needs, Mazzulla said, “I don’t know.”
The Celtics looked uninspired team on Sunday night in Miami, with stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown only combining for 26 points and no single player on the team scoring more than 14.
Boston shot a combined 39.8 percent from the floor and 26.2 percent from deep, while Miami eclipsed 50 percent in both categories.
For Miami, Jimmy Butler had another strong all-around performance despite only scoring 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting, adding eight rebounds and six assists while Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson both scored over 20.
“I just didn’t have them ready to play,” Mazzulla said. “I have to get them in a better place ready to play, and that’s on me.”
It’s shaping up to be a tough end for Mazzulla’s first season in Boston after he became the full-time head coach when the Celtics infamously moved on from Ime Udoka in the offseason.
Udoka, who led Boston to the NBA Finals in his first season at the helm, was suspended and later let go by the team after he had an inappropriate relationship with a female Celtics staffer.
Udoka was then hired by the Rockets this offseason.
The Celtics appeared not to miss a beat during the regular season with Mazzulla being promoted from interim to full-time coach.
The Celtics cruised to a 57-25 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the East.
But the Heat and their head coach, Erik Spoelstra, have proven to be too much for Mazzulla and the Celtics, who lost the first two games of the series on their home court before Sunday night’s South Beach debacle.
The series is not technically over, but no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets are also up 3-0 to the Lakers, so fans may need to wait until the NBA Finals to get any real drama.
