NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT VS. CELTICS

May 27, 2023

Joe Mazzulla

Boston Celtics

Game 6: Postgame

Celtics 104, Heat 103

Q. Coach, you guys are on the verge of making history and a historic comeback. What are the steps you're taking between now and Monday to guarantee your team is going to stay in focus and you will succeed on Monday?

JOE MAZZULLA: I mean, there is no guarantee. We just have to understand why we're still alive. The mindset doesn't shift. Just can't relax.

Q. What did you draw up there on that final play, and how do you play with that, with Derrick, to see that opening, cut to the rim to go for that offensive rebound?

JOE MAZZULLA: Yeah, really just tried to get it to a spot where we could take one or two dribbles and get a shot, and they did a good job of denying with the inbounder, which is always a hard read.

But at the end of the games like that, our guys talk about just crashing at the end of the game, giving it a chance, and D-White made a great play. Smart made a great play getting open to get a shot off, and D-White made a great play.

Q. What went through your mind? Did you know it was good?

JOE MAZZULLA: I had no idea, no.

Q. What went through your mind when it was ruled good?

JOE MAZZULLA: Nothing. Game 7.

Q. How would you describe the personality of this team? You were down 3-0. It seemed like you guys, from what we saw on the court, you seemed a little disconnected. All of a sudden you come together and you force a Game 7. How would you describe the personality of your club?

JOE MAZZULLA: Yeah, they're just resilient. I've said it throughout the year, that's one of the best locker rooms I've ever been a part of. It starts with them. They have a togetherness. They have a connectivity. At their hardest times they stick by each other, and they've done that for long time, so credit to them.

Q. You talk about three-point shooting, shot 20 percent, outscored by 21 at the three-point line. How do you pull off a win when there's that big of a disparity for you guys?

JOE MAZZULLA: Just figure it out. Just make plays. Each guy on that team just made plays down the stretch.

Obviously, you have to have some luck on your side. They missed some open shots. We missed some open shots. But you've just got to stay in the fight and make the next best play you can, and I thought each guy on the team did that.

Q. You guys were up 10 with about four minutes left. What did you see over that stretch there where you went 0 for 6 over the next string of possessions?

JOE MAZZULLA: I saw all six. Bricks. They went zone, slowed us down a little bit. We got some really good looks. Just didn't make them.

But we kept chipping away at it. I liked just the resiliency that the guys played with. We had some opportunities to crash, and we did that. Just resiliency from the guys.

That's it.

Q. You said looking at Game 7, we've got to remember what got us here. How did you guys get here? Only four teams in NBA history have even forced a Game 7 down 0-3?

JOE MAZZULLA: Faith, love, togetherness, physicality, belief, hope, all those things combined. But it starts with the locker room. Those guys had a choice to make, and they chose to believe in each other.

Q. You've remained incredibly steady throughout this entire series, and the team has continued to re-emphasize locking in and being together. How do you feel like the tone that you set here allows the team to not panic?

JOE MAZZULLA: Yeah, it is what it is. I think we just feed off each other from that standpoint of like these are the circumstances, and what do we have to do to figure it out, and it starts with them. Each one of those guys, like I said, goes into a different level of who they are as a person and as a player. It starts with them in the locker room.

Q. Obviously Derrick White had the game-winning offensive rebound, but he had a few key offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. What does it say about these guys that even when the shots aren't falling, they're finding ways to keep possessions alive and give themselves a chance?

JOE MAZZULLA: That was always the question. What happens when we don't shoot the ball well. I think the guys buying into those corner-crashing opportunities is what gave us a chance. I think those things are important.

We had some of that in Game 5, and then we had some more of that tonight.

Q. What did you make of the activity and presence of your bigs, Al Horford and Robert Williams, tonight?

JOE MAZZULLA: Those two guys, they don't probably get enough credit. They're just staples for us on both ends of the floor. When they play with a level of physicality and presence for us, we're a different team. There's a bunch of guys on our team that have different gifts that they bring to the table outside of basketball, and Al and Rob are two guys that bring a sense of joy and just bring a sense of steadiness. We really rely on them for that.