Mazzulla Faces Pressure After Celtics Blew 3-1 Lead in 1st-Round Exit

4 articles · Updated · NBC Sports Boston · May 26

A 3-1 series collapse to Philadelphia has put Joe Mazzulla’s playoff decision-making under sharper scrutiny despite Boston’s 56-win season.
Game 7 became the clearest example: Mazzulla waited until the elimination game to try a new starting five, expand rookie Hugo Gonzalez’s role and move away from Nikola Vucevic toward smaller lineups.
Boston’s roster issues also narrowed his options, with Kristaps Porzingis weakened by illness and the frontcourt lacking answers once Joel Embiid regained form; Neemias Queta battled foul trouble and other bigs had defensive limits.
The setback deepened a pattern for Mazzulla, whose teams have now had three playoff disappointments in four years even as his regular-season .726 winning percentage ranks third in Celtics history.
Tuesday’s Coach of the Year vote could still honor Mazzulla’s regular-season work, but the bigger question for 2026-27 is whether he can adjust faster under postseason pressure.

Was the Celtics' 2024 championship a fluke that masked the recurring playoff failures of coach Joe Mazzulla?

Is Joe Mazzulla's coaching the real issue, or is Boston's roster simply not built for another title run?