Joe Mazzulla - Should've called TO on Celtics' final possession - ESPN

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla admitted Monday he should have called a timeout before the final possession of his team's 116-115 overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4, walking back what he originally said about the decision following the game.

The Celtics inbounded the ball with 19 seconds remaining after a James Harden 3-pointer, but never got a shot attempt off before the final buzzer.

Mazzulla defended the strategy after the game Sunday, but on Monday afternoon he acknowledged a timeout could have given the Celtics an opportunity at multiple chances to win the game.

«At the end of overtime, hindsight is 20/20, I should have called [a timeout] to help us get a 2-for-1 or a couple more possessions,» Mazzulla said during a conference call with reporters. «So, obviously with 14 seconds left, down one, you want to get as many chances as you can. So we'll definitely learn from that.»

The Celtics were faced with the same scenario at the end of the fourth quarter. Harden tied the game on a floater with 16.1 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Celtics inbounded the ball without calling a timeout. Jayson Tatum's drive generated an open 3-pointer from Marcus Smart, who missed and sent the game to overtime.

However, Mazzulla stood by his decision-making at the end of the fourth quarter.

«It's something we've talked about all year,» he said. «We trust our guys to make the right play. [Not calling a timeout] prevents the other team from getting matchups off the floor. It prevents the other team from getting their defense organized.

»Hindsight is always 20/20, so it sounds good to say, 'Yes we should have done this,' but we've prepared all year as a team to be able to take advantage of those situations. More