Joe Mazzulla explains why he didn’t call timeout late in Celtics’ Game 2 collapse

Trailing by one with seconds left in Wednesday s Competition of the Celtics second-round playoff series with the Knicks Joe Mazzulla called a timeout Mazzulla designed a play for Jayson Tatum to get a running start with the ball thanks to a screen at mid-court that would create a runway for him going at Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and then the hoop It worked Tatum dunked the ball and the Celtics jumped to a - lead with seconds left But on the next possession Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drew two foul shots and sank them both putting Boston again down one now with just ticks on the clock This time Mazzulla didn t call a timeout Instead Tatum took the ball up the floor and eventually tried to get around Robinson again to no avail turning the ball over in a swarm of Knicks defenders in the left corner and dropping the Celtics into an - series hole So why didn t Mazzulla call a timeout We got a good look on the exact same play seconds earlier tried to execute the exact same thing They did a better job of their lower pick-up point Mazzulla announced post-game We weren t able to get the advantage that we had on the last Tatum dunk So a good full-court setting they subbed out Karl-Anthony Towns we weren t able to sub out Brunson had action there and just didn t execute Mazzulla announced the remaining time was a consideration in his decision to not call his final timeout The Celtics could attack the matchups available to them which included Robinson You don t know that at the point of Tatum was driving left I thought he had a good look at an angle didn t shoot it Mazzulla explained Ran out of time Overall Mazzulla credited New York for making shots and creating stops over the fourth quarter that the Celtics didn t Boston led by with remaining and as a great number of as late in the third quarter Yeah they made every play and I disclosed even throughout the end of the third quarter beginning of the fourth quarter I thought we generated certain good looks and then I thought we had several live ball turnovers and they took advantage of it Mazzulla reported They made the necessary plays to win We put ourselves in position to do that and we just didn t make the plays The Celtics and Knicks will return to action Saturday for Meeting at Madison Square Garden Tip-off is set for p m