Mazzulla explains that the Celtics’ interesting lineup changes for Game 6 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Do you want adjustments? Joe Mazzulla will make adjustments for you.
The Boston Celtics plan to field Robert Williams in place of Derrick White for Thursday night’s must-win Game 6 in Philadelphia against the 76ers, Mazzulla confirmed in his pregame press conference. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and Shams Charania were the first to report the line-up change.
Tomase: With the season on the line, the Celtics need Joe Mazzulla to deliver
That means the Celtics will return to the “double big” lineup they deployed en route to the 2022 NBA Finals, with Williams and Al Horford leading up along with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
“Just gives us a different look,” Mazzulla told reporters ahead of Game 6. “I think Rob gives us a boost when we’re at our best, especially defensively. So I just look for it.”
“…Just his presence on the sidelines, his ability to defend on the touchline, rebound and shield for us, I think he’s been really good at those things all year and that’s what we’re talking about tonight expect him.”
Boston had great success with the Williams/Horford pairing during the regular season, but the duo struggled during their short stint on the court in the series, our Chris Forsberg notes.
Still, the double-big lineup would allow Williams to keep up with Sixers forward PJ Tucker and act more as a shot blocker in defense while Horford tries to contain Joel Embiid and Brown takes on James Harden.
In another interesting development, Weiss and Charania report that substitute Payton Pritchard “is expected to get more chances” in Game 6. Pritchard’s first minutes of the series came in Game 5 when he scored eight points in nine minutes of the second half and the Celtics are already down by double figures.
Whether these changes will pay off for Boston remains to be seen, but it sounds like Mazzulla is trying to push other buttons while his team’s backs are against the wall.
NBC Sports Boston coverage of Game 6 begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with “Celtics Pregame Live” before kicking off at 7:30 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.
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