"You've got to get rid of the coach"- Colin Cowherd says Joe Mazzulla needs to be fired after Game 3 loss
Colin Cowherd seems to agree with the popular opinion about Joe Mazzulla being dismissed by the Boston Celtics after they went down 3-0 against the Miami Heat. The Celtics entered the postseason as the favorites to win it all, but they are likely facing a series sweep loss in the conference finals at the hands of an eighth seed.
Mazzulla is just as responsible for Boston's collapse as the team's players. Some of his coaching decisions throughout this playoff run have been questionable. His deficiencies as a rookie coach have been on display against an experienced counterpart in Erik Spoelstra.
Popular sports media personality Colin Cowherd supports the idea that the Celtics should move on from Mazzulla. Here's what Cowherd said on his podcast:
"I think the Boston players don't buy into Joe Mazzulla... It happens you gotta get rid of the coach. Listen man, there is a gap between Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the Eastern coaches and you are seeing it... This team's [Celtics] poorly coached. Defense is a mess. With the same dudes mostly from last year."
"It happens. You've got to get rid of the coach."
—@ColinCowherd reacts to Celtics falling down 0-3 https://t.co/qkyfRJNxHk
The Celtics were the No.1 defensive-rated team last season under former head coach Ime Udoka, who led their resurgence to the top after a midseason turnaround.
Boston improved significantly on offense under Joe Mazzulla, but their defense fell apart, despite nearly boasting the same core and supporting cast. Although they finished second in defensive ratings this year in the regular season, the Celtics seemed to struggle on their off nights more than they should have, especially against the more experienced teams.
That issue followed them into the playoffs, where Boston has a defensive rating of 113.5, 10th among 16 teams in the postseason. Along with not being able to implement effective defensive coverage, Mazzulla has also struggled with his timeouts policy, one of the biggest talking points of his coaching this year.
Joe Mazzulla admits he lost the Celtics' locker room
The Boston Celtics brass may not have many options after the end of their 2023 playoffs campaign but to fire head coach Joe Mazzulla. He signed a multi-year deal in February after nearly leading the Celtics to the No. 1 spot in the East. They finished second with a 57-25 record.
However, it hasn't been a smooth ride for the Celtics' 19th head coach in franchise history since then. To make things worse, the judgment that he had lost the locker room turned out to be true when Mazzulla admitted the same after the Celtics' Game 3 loss. Here's what he said:
"Yeah, there's where I have to be better to figure out what this team needs to make sure they're connected, they're physical, and they're together by the time we step on the floor."
The Celtics weren't engaged in Game 3, which made it evident the players had lost their trust in their coach. They put in a lousy effort defensively and committed 15 turnovers during the contest. It certainly looked as if the players quit on the coach.
The situation they're in makes it highly unlikely for them to put up any fight in this series moving forward.