Kofi Inkoom
The Boston Celtics have started the NBA season with a strong determination to secure their first championship since 2008, but a notable concern has been the performance of their bench players.
To address this issue, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla organized a film session specifically for the struggling bench players on Tuesday.
The positive impact of this session became evident on Wednesday when the reserve players significantly contributed to the team’s impressive 155-point performance against the Indiana Pacers. In this game, the bench players collectively scored 63 points.
Mazzulla expressed his satisfaction with the improved performance, noting, “I just thought we played with more of a sense of purpose, and they managed the game in that way,”.
Speaking to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, Mazzulla further underscored the significance of specific elements that played a pivotal role in their success.
“And there’s certain things that you can do to put yourself in a better situation in those. It’s defend without fouling, it’s limiting them to one shot, it’s not giving up transition. Those are the three things that they didn’t do in the Washington game and those are the three things that they did a great job of taking away [against the Pacers].” Mazzulla added.
With an undefeated record of 4-0 this season, the Celtics have raised hopes of an exceptional season, with some fans even entertaining the idea of an 82-0 season.
Their next challenge awaits as they face the Brooklyn Nets on the road at the Barclays Center on Saturday.