The Boston Celtics came into Game 2 of their second-round series against the New York Knicks looking to avenge their 105-108 overtime loss in Game 1. Instead, Jalen Brunson and Co. stole another game in the final seconds, walking out of TD Gardens with a 91-90 win and a 2-0 series lead. After another poor performance for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown from three-point range, Celtics fans had one culprit in mind; Joe Mazzulla.
Mazzulla was confident in his game plan after Game 1, telling reporters that it was just one bad shooting night. After the Celtics set a record for the most missed threes in a two-game span in the playoffs, Boston fans had enough. They took to social media to condemn the coach, demanding that the franchise fire him after going down 2-0 in the series.
“2 20 POINT LEADS BLOWN IN THE SECOND HALF IN BOTH GAMES FIRE MAZZULLA AND TRADE EVERYONE,” declared one fan.
“Fire Joe Mazzulla after this game,” posted another.
“I’ve actually never been more repulsed by a team top down. Mazzulla should be fired before he even walks off the court, it starts there,” another fan said in disgust.
“They gotta fire Mazzulla. He could have told them to stop with the 3s but he refused,” another fan pointed out.
“whats the incentive to not fire mazzulla immediately?” asked one fan. “dude is useless. get someone who can draw plays and tell the team to play like they would under mazzulla for the first 90% of the game”
Boston faces an uphill climb in the series, needing to win four of the next five games to pull off the comeback. The series shifts back to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4 with the Knicks holding all the momentum. Brown, Tatum, and Mazzulla are all under heavy pressure to figure out a way to overcome their poor shooting before the season ends.
If the Celtics can’t fight their way out of this hole, Mazzulla could be the first to go.
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