Why Joe Mazzulla’s playoff limitations will haunt Celtics after Game 7 loss to 76ers

Joe Mazzulla has rightfully earned his place as one of the best head coaches in the NBA for the Boston Celtics.

Having not reached 40 years of age, he has led Boston to four consecutive seasons of 55 or more wins. Not only that, but he has also led the franchise to their 18th NBA championship with the title run in 2024.

However, Mazzulla’s best strengths come with his weaknesses. And the biggest flaw showcases his inconsistencies in the playoffs, especially after blowing a 3-1 series lead to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026 playoffs.

Why Joe Mazzulla’s playoff success has been inconsistent

Mazzulla’s 2025-26 campaign with the Celtics came to an end after losing Game 7 to the 76ers at home. This resulted in the conclusion of a campaign that saw incredible growth from him throughout the regular season.

Mazzulla dealt with a situation where Boston made significant changes to the roster, seeing the likes of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet depart via trades and free agency. He coached a mostly new roster while superstar Jayson Tatum rehabbed his torn Achilles, presenting a new objective for the fourth-year coach.

Mazzulla exceeded expectations with the relatively new roster, coaching them to 56 wins and the second seed in the East. He got Jaylen Brown to have an MVP-caliber season while Derrick White and Payton Pritchard manned the primary backcourt. Not only that, but the likes of Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Jordan Walsh benefitted from the available playing time they got with the many changes Boston made throughout the 2025 offseason.

However, the playoffs continue to be the biggest test of a team’s success. And it was no different for Mazzulla as his ability to make adjustments game-by-game and in big moments returned to the spotlight once again. Not in a good way.

2023 was his first test as he experienced longer series. Boston went six games with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, seven games with Joel Embiid and the 76ers in the East semis, and seven games with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat in the East Finals. The last series saw him go down 3-0 before finally making changes to force a Game 7 but ultimately came up short in the end.

Mazzulla improved his coaching skillset in the title run, winning three of the four playoff series in five games throughout the 2024 postseason. That year marks his best performance to date in the postseason as 2025 and 2026 revealed more challenges for him.

In 2025, Boston took down Orlando in five games before facing New York. However, 3-point shooting issues doomed the Celtics in Games 1 and 2 at home. That ended up proving to be costly as the Knicks never looked back by winning the series in six games.

When the perimeter shooting doesn’t go his way, Mazzulla seems to have difficulty in making the adjustments necessary for his team to win the big game consistently. While it works in the regular season, the playoffs force teams to be adjusting on the fly, something that Mazzulla will have to accept for him to evolve as a coach in the NBA.

Mazzulla has earned his stripes to belong in the league as a head coach. His efforts in the 2024 championship run showed he deserves his props as one of the best offensive minds around. However, if he wants to avoid another underwhelming display in the postseason because the 3 ball isn’t falling, then he will have to emphasize the improvement of his ability to adapt to what’s going on with his team during games.

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