OFFICIAL: Boston Celtics Coach make a fearful statement about…
It’s scary hours for Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics.
Playing on their home floor became a house of horrors once again Friday night as the Celtics fell into a 2-0 series hole against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in a 111-105 loss at TD Garden.
Not even a game-high 34 points from Jayson Tatum was enough to save Boston.
It was another late-game collapse from Mazzulla and the Celtics as they seemed to take control early in the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead. But as they’ve done often late, the Heat made their run and Boston could not find a response.
The Celtics’ bad late-game execution and inability to respond to runs has been a running theme throughout these playoffs. And going up against an advantageous team like Miami—that thrives in those situations—has been a recipe for disaster.
Timeouts were once again an issue with Mazzulla as he refuses to use them in critical situations when the Heat climbed out of that late-game deficit in a matter of minutes.
He also took out Tatum for a couple of moments in the fourth quarter that were critical for the Heat’s comeback.
The inexperience has never been more evident for the 34-year-old first-year coach than in this series going up against Erik Spoelstra and his all-world coaching staff.
And the Boston faithful were letting him hear it on Twitter following the loss.
Brown caught a lot of flack for a really bad shooting night by his standards. He finished with 16 points of 7-of-23 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range to go along with four rebounds and two turnovers.
As for Williams, he did what some in the business would call “Dillon Brooksing a game away,” by poking the bear. With a few minutes left in the fourth quarter he got caught up in a trash talking match with Butler and loss.
Big time.
The Heat were once again led by Butler and Bam Adebayo, who finished with 27 and 22 points, respectively. They also got a huge contribution form Caleb Martin off the bench as he had 25 points of his own to go along with four rebounds.
The series will now head to South Beach for Games 3 and 4 as the Celtics look to avoid falling into a dreaded 3-0 hole.
Game 3 is on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET.
DONE DEAL: Celtics have Sign a Two-Way contract deal with…
The Celtics are expected to sign G League forward Drew Peterson to a two-way contract, according to Adrian Wojanrowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Agents Mike Silverman and Troy Payne tell Wojnarowski that Peterson has agreed to sign with the C’s and is on track to join the team as soon as Thursday.
Peterson, 24, went undrafted earlier this year after spending two seasons at Rice and three at USC. As a “super senior” in 2022/23, he averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, posting a .442/.358/.752 shooting line in 33 games (35.9 MPG) for the Trojans.
As an undrafted free agent, Peterson quickly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami and joined the Heat for summer league play and training camp. He was cut before the regular season began and was designated as an affiliate player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League team.
Peterson was off to a strong start in his first professional season, putting up 15.2 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.2 APG on .528/.407/.857 shooting in his first 13 games with the Skyforce. Once he officially signs with Boston, he’ll make the move to the Maine Celtics. He’ll also be eligible to appear in up to 35 NBA games, assuming he officially signs on Thursday.
The Celtics won’t need to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot for Peterson, since they already cut a two-way player earlier this week, parting ways with Nathan Knight on Tuesday. Neemias Queta and JD Davison are Boston’s other two-way players.
If Peterson signs on Thursday, his two-way salary will be $395,708. That salary would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through January 7.
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Small Ball Time? Celtics Could Be Without Key Players Vs. Magic
The Celtics potentially could be shorthanded when they face the Orlando Magic on Friday, especially at center.
Boston submitted its injury report Friday afternoon and listed Luke Kornet out due to left adductor tightness and Al Horford out due to rest. Kristaps Porzingis was listed as doubtful due to left calf tightness, and Jaylen Brown was listed as questionable due to a right knee hyperextension.
Porzingis and Brown missed a combined six games this season through 23 games.
The only other true center on the Celtics’ roster is Neemias Queta. Otherwise, head coach Joe Mazzulla will need to get creative and possibly play Lamar Stevens or Oshae Brissett at center.
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Boston is coming off a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, and it will play Orlando again Sunday at TD Garden. The Celtics are four-point favorites Friday, according to NESN Bets consensus data, so oddsmakers aren’t dismayed by Boston’s injuries as of Friday afternoon.
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