What Celtics players said about Joe Mazzulla’s radical Game 7 lineup that backfired

With Jayson Tatum unable to play due to knee stiffness, the Boston Celtics decided to shake things up in a major way in their series finale against the Philadelphia 76ers, starting Ron Harper, Luka Garza, and Baylor Scheierman while bringing Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, and Payton Prichard off the bench.

On paper, the idea wasn’t inherently flawed, but the actual execution left much to be desired, with the trio combining for zero points on seven shots from the field over 35 total minutes of action.

Discussing the fallout from Game 7 and the series as a whole with reporters, Luka Garza broke down Joe Mazzulla’s rationale behind the decision and how it felt to be called upon in such a clutch situation.

“They wanted to bring some energy into that first part of the game. Trying to throw guys in there that they know obviously haven’t had that many big opportunities in this series so far. And they wanted us to just go out there and play as hard as we could. Kind of just unleash those guys that were started for that opportunity. And I think that was kind of the mindset from them,” Garza said via Daniel Donabedian.

“And obviously, for me, I felt like throughout the first round, there were different parts where I got a couple minutes to answer or whatever it was. And I felt like I was playing well and helping the team in different ways. And so I knew more opportunity was coming. I didn’t know necessarily how it was going to look in game seven. But obviously, what coach told us, it was obviously a great feeling. And you wanted to go out there and bring that energy and try to make a positive impact on the game. And obviously it sucks that we weren’t able to do that.”

Luka Garza on starting Game 7:

“It’s a huge honor that coach trusted us…We wish it would have went better, but I know that all of us wanted to go out there and try to bring energy and play as hard as we could, do what we could to help the team and get them off to a good start.” pic.twitter.com/2iPX2upQ4m

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) May 3, 2026

Sam Hauser was also asked about the Celtics’ starting lineup in Game 7, with the 28-year-old wing noting that he trusted his coach to put the team in the best position with the series on the line, even if it meant having to come off the bench.

“We trusted the coaches and what they thought we needed in the series,” Hauser said via Daniel Donabedian, “It was a little shakeup, and those guys went out and did their best, and that’s all you can ask from them.”

With Tatum unable to play after looking off for much of Game 6, the Celtics found themselves in a unique position with their season on the line against a 76ers team riding the momentum of a returning Joel Embiid. Had his lineup decision worked, Mazzulla would have been heralded as a genius. Instead, he gets to start his offseason early as the Celtics look to bring another championship back to Boston.

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