Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Celtics Discuss What Went Wrong on the Final Play in Their Loss vs. the Jazz
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At the end of the Celtics' 118-117 loss to the Jazz on Saturday, they had two chances in the final 35 seconds to regain the lead.
On Boston's first attempt, the visitors went to a play that's often worked when it needs a bucket, but opponents have well scouted by now.
The ball went to Jayson Tatum in the backcourt, where he built momentum coming downhill and launched a pull-up three. Sometimes, the inbound goes elsewhere, allowing Tatum to get a running start before receiving the rock.
But Marcus Smart is the one relied on to make that pass, which requires surgeon-like precision. Smart was inactive for Saturday's game due to a left hip contusion.
The other variable was that with 35 seconds left, the Celtics wanted to work quickly, opting for a two-for-one.
That's fine, but Tatum went scoreless in three of four quarters, including the final frame. They could have dialed up something better than having him quickly hoist a pull-up three from above the break. His shot bricked badly.
Then, with five seconds left, still trailing 118-117, a sideline inbounds intended for Grant Williams to work a dribble handoff to get the ball to Tatum coming off a screen from the former Tennessee Volunteer didn't quite go as Joe Mazzulla envisioned.
With the Jazz, whose head coach is former Celtics lead assistant Will Hardy, defending the play well, rather than heading toward half court to meet Tatum for the dribble handoff, Williams broke toward the rim.
While Williams would've been better off stopping for a floater, it's much easier to say that from the press box, the couch, or in hindsight. Instead, he ran to the rim, where seven-foot-one center Walker Kessler blocked his shot, preserving the victory for the hosts.
What makes it sting more is that overall Williams had an excellent fourth quarter, matching Lauri Markkanen with 12 points, the most in the period.
He also facilitated out of the left corner, finding Jaylen Brown for a three from the right corner that gave Boston a 117-113 lead with 1:19 left.
What happened on the game's final play makes for a bitter chaser to an otherwise encouraging performance for Williams.
Following the loss, which drops the Celtics to third in the East since they have one more defeat and a slightly lower winning percentage than the Sixers (.686 percent to .681), Mazzulla confirmed Williams went the wrong way on what was supposed to be a dribble handoff, which was detailed in real-time when exploring what stood out in each quarter of Saturday night's matchup.
Williams also went to the podium and broke down the final play in explicit detail from his vantage point.
"The play was designed to get the ball to JT. Normally, a big is the one that's guarding, but they took the guy off the ball; they took Lauri off the ball, so I got open against Lauri. As soon as I caught it, I was deep in the paint -- or, not the paint, I was running in the lane.
"So, I took the dribble, tried to look up and see if anybody was available. JB fell to my left. (I) potentially had Sam (Hauser) to my right for a shot. And then, by then, there was probably three seconds left on the clock. JT was in the backcourt, Malcolm (Brogdon) was still out of bounds. So, it was like, I've gotta get a shot up at least.
"So, I tried to make contact with Walker, shot fake, then trying to get the ball, at least off the glass, so (that) we could get an offensive rebound and tip.
"He made a good play. (He) got the ball and blocked it. After that, no time left. We didn't have any timeouts. So, it's not like -- when I caught it, I was like, we've gotta find a way to at least get a shot attempt, but there was no avenue in that scenario. I probably could have shot a floater; probably a better shot. Or even just tried to get that ball to Sam, but (the defender) did a good job of bluffing and getting back and forcing me into something else."
Further Reading
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Jazz: Boston Outplayed in Crunch-Time
Al Horford and Marcus Smart Credit Joe Mazzulla for Celtics' Recent Success
Joe Mazzulla Explains What's Different About the Celtics Since Their Loss in Houston
