The Celtics experienced their first home loss of the season in a close game against the Nuggets on Friday. While a single January defeat doesn’t significantly impact the Celtics’ championship prospects, it marked a challenging conclusion for the team that has performed exceptionally well so far.
Despite the strides the Celtics have made this season, they fell short in a closely contested match, losing 102-100 to the Nuggets. Following the game, ESPN’s NBA Countdown discussed the loss, and former Celtics player Kendrick Perkins made an unusual comparison while critiquing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
Perkins remarked, “They essentially have two versions of Joe Mazzulla. One embraces the philosophy of prioritizing more three-pointers, and when they succeed, he looks impressive. Then there’s the other Joe Mazzulla, who just stands on the sidelines, leaving you puzzled. If you were to extract his mindset and place it in a bird, that bird would probably start flying backward. That’s the kind of Joe Mazzulla we’re dealing with.”
Perkins explained his perspective further, stating, “The reason I make that comparison is because Mazzulla struggles to create easy scoring opportunities for his players. We kept emphasizing the need to attack the paint and utilize the strengths of players who excel at cutting. You can’t rely on AAU-style basketball all the time; you need structured plays.”
While it’s true that Mazzulla values the math behind three-pointers, the Celtics’ 14-for-44 shooting from beyond the arc on that particular night wasn’t efficient, especially considering their initial strong performance. However, the Celtics’ overall strategy in crunch time wasn’t necessarily flawed, as they had open looks that simply didn’t convert.
Despite the loss, the Celtics had opportunities to win the game, with Jayson Tatum missing a potential go-ahead transition basket and a game-tying shot attempt. Tatum acknowledged his responsibility for the missed opportunities in the postgame analysis.
With a season record of 32-10, the Celtics remain the best team in the league. While the loss to the defending champions at home was close, it doesn’t signal a cause for alarm regarding their overall approach, and adjustments can be made as needed, particularly in playoff scenarios.