
Was the Boston Celtics early exit the fault of coach Joe Mazzulla?
Was the Boston Celtics early exit the fault of coach Joe Mazzulla?
Was the Boston Celtics early exit the fault of coach Joe Mazzulla? The Celtics saw their season end in Game 6 of their 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series against the New York Knicks due to the Knicks being better than expected on both ends of the court compared to the 2024-25 NBA regular season as much as it was caused by a pileup of injuries to Boston's roster.
But one can also point to some questionable game management issues that stem from the choices made by Mazzulla as a decent part of why the Celtics were bounced in the second round of the 2025 postseason as well. Were the mistakes made by the Boston coach egregious enough to blame him for the series loss?
The hosts of the CLNS Media "Celtics Beat" podcast, Adam Kaufman and Evan Valenti, took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk it over. Check it out below!
If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: https://ytubl.ink/3Ffk
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Boston Globe
17 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
How our photographer captured the image that summed up the Celtics' dispiriting season
Write to us at . To subscribe, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT We all know a picture is worth a thousand words. But sometimes the story behind a photo — especially one that many of us have already seen — merits a few more. The above image is one of those photos, and this is one of those stories. Last month, Globe photographer Advertisement The stakes were high. The Celtics, last year's NBA champions, already trailed 2-1 in the series and were behind as the final minutes of the fourth quarter ticked down. Seeking a better vantage point to capture the disappointment on the bench and on the face of head coach Joe Mazzulla, Danielle left her assigned spot and moved higher up in the arena. And then, as every Boston sports fan knows by now, disaster struck. As Knicks forward OG Anunoby ran past Celtics star Jayson Tatum with a loose ball, Danielle kept her camera, a Canon R3 with a 400mm 2.8 lens, trained on Tatum as he fell — 'not thinking it was something serious,' she said, 'but just in case he had a reaction that would illustrate the Celtics' overall frustration.' But as Tatum turned, the look Danielle saw on his face told a different story. Tatum had Advertisement 'I don't like photographing injuries because it's so sad to watch,' Danielle said of the photo she captured (1/1600, f3.2, ISO 4000). Tatum was curled on the court floor, left arm framing his face, grimacing in pain and frustration. But it turned out to be the signal image of the team's season this year. 'In the end, I feel like the photo summed up the Celtics' playoff run,' she said. Danielle's is one of 20 images that the Globe's photo editors deemed the Below are a few more of the paper's top photos from last month. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Andrea and Nahomy Chavarría arrived in Vermont with their family last year from Nicaragua. They came legally, but President Trump's changes to immigration policies convinced them to self-deport. At Champlain Valley Union High School, teachers and administrators scrambled to put together an early graduation ceremony for the sisters, who were both seniors. As Nahomy and her father left the school for the last time, Globe photographer Jessica Rinaldi captured them walking by a giant American flag that the sisters' classmates had painted and adorned with quotes from American icons. My colleague Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio told the family's story in Advertisement David L. Ryan/Globe Staff April showers brought May flowers — but also more showers. As this newsletter David L. Ryan braved the weather to capture an umbrella-toting pedestrian on storm-dampened Boylston Street. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff College commencement ceremonies in Greater Boston have taken place in Trump's shadow as his efforts to cut research funding and bar or deport foreign students hit Harvard, Tufts, and other schools. But Pat Greenhouse captured newly minted BU graduates celebrating in a hail of confetti. Erin Clark/Globe Staff May marked five years since a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyd's neck, sparking a national conversation about on racism and policing. Globe photographer Erin Clark found an echo of that reckoning outside the Massachusetts State House last month as a singing group made up of formerly imprisoned Black men — from left, Robert Rose, Albert Brown, and Jabir Pope — performed Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Jessica Rinaldi was there as Lilah Bilotta, 7, ran with outstretched arms through a sea of American flags on Boston Common ahead of Memorial Day. To mark the holiday, volunteers with the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and Home Base created a garden of more than 37,000 flags — one for every service member from Massachusetts who has given their life since the Revolutionary War. Advertisement Erin Clark/Globe Staff In between deluges, it finally started to feel like summer last month. Erin Clark captured Brad Shultz, the guitarist for the alt-rock band Cage the Elephant, playing outdoors among the crowd on the second day of 🧩 8 Across: 80° POINTS OF INTEREST Where will all the electricity to power AI in Massachusetts come from? Adobe Stock Boston and Massachusetts Karen Read retrial: A Triumphant return: Marco Sturm, who played five seasons with the Bruins from 2005-10, Housing: The Healey administration awarded over $7 million to help convert two Power surge: Data centers to power AI are coming to Massachusetts. Are they an economic opportunity or New England Gun control: Rhode Island's House of Representatives passed Trans rights: New Hampshire Senate Republicans passed legislation that would ban Trump administration Then vs. now: In Trump's first term, his ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries sparked protests at airports and legal pushback. His new travel ban Russia-Ukraine war: Germany's chancellor urged Trump to pressure Vladimir Putin to seek peace. Trump said it might be better to let the countries 'fight for a while.' ( Chelsea arrest: A Boston civil rights group accused immigration agents of unlawfully detaining a father of three on Mother's Day, The Nation and the World Boulder attack: Prosecutors in Colorado charged the suspect with 118 counts, including attempted murder. ( Unanimous decisions: The Supreme Court ruled for a straight woman who lost out on jobs to gay colleagues, saying she doesn't have to meet a higher standard than minorities to sue for workplace discrimination. ( Diddy trial: The judge threatened to eject the music mogul from the courtroom for making faces at the jury. ( VIEWPOINTS Will Ukraine's drone attacks change the war? Yes , says Bernard-Henri Lévy in the Wall Street Journal, calling Ukraine's daring raid, which neutralized important Russian planes, ' No , Jennifer Kavanagh counters in UnHerd. Despite their shock value, the attacks will harden Russia's resolve and Whether or not it turns the tide, Ukraine's ingenuity has transformed warfare, exposing BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin 💘 Blind date: She's a kind and genuine person who plays the cello; he's into mixology and breathing fire (literally). 💰 Stash: Americans are getting close to saving what they're supposed to in order to not run out of money in retirement. Here's how much that is. ( 🏙️ Beautiful buildings: This year's Boston Preservation Alliance achievement awards have gone to City Hall and its plaza, the Curley Community Center in South Boston, the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury, and more. ( Advertisement 📺 Tony weekend: Here's how to 🏠 Home again: She couldn't have guessed where new love and a new marriage would take her: 🟣 No love: Sherwin-Williams has announced its loneliest color. It's not that friendless people should use it; it's the tint that it sold the least last year. ( Thanks for reading Starting Point. NOTE: A 🎁 emoji indicates a gift link. A $ is a subscription site that does not offer gift links. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
How to watch the Red Sox at Yankees series: Baseball's foremost feud, in weekend primetime
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have a surefire top-five rivalry in all of American sports. This latest edition gets early-summer weekend staging and a national finale on 'Sunday Night Baseball.' As one Bronx luminary says, it is both up and stuck. From the 'Curse of the Bambino' to the 2024 ALCS comeback, this matchup has yielded a century of pure classics. One time for Aaron Boone and Bucky Dent … or, for those of another persuasion, one time for Dave Roberts and Carl Yastrzemski. Sunday's game will also be available on ESPN+. Boston is at a critical juncture with its season slipping away. The Red Sox went 16-11 in April but stumbled to 11-17 in May. They've won just three of their last 10 games. Five of their last eight losses have come by one run. There are some highlights on offense though. The Red Sox ranked inside the top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. Rafael Devers has the best on-base percentage of his nine-year career (.408). Advertisement New York's bats are bashing, headlined, of course, by Triple Crown contender Aaron Judge. The all-galaxy hitter is on pace for an MLB Slugfest-level of work: 57 HR, 135 RBI and 148 runs, with league-best marks in all three slashing categories. The Yanks are no solo show, though. They start this series third in the majors in runs scored. A pair of righties start the proceedings on Friday. Boston's Walker Buehler is 4-3 with a 4.44 ERA since his arrival from the World Series spotlight. Will Warren brings a bloated 5.19 ERA to the bump. The Saturday game serves up top-shelf lefty-on-lefty stuff. Resurgent veteran and finesse specialist Ryan Yarbrough is placing the ball brilliantly so far. Hilariously, he's up to the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and the bottom 1 percentile in fastball velo. He's up against Boston's Garrett Crochet, who has a sub-2 ERA and the second-most strikeouts in MLB. The 'Sunday Night Baseball' finale pits 25-year-old Red Sox right-hander Hunter Dobbins against pinstriped lefty star Carlos Rodón (8-3, 2.49 ERA, fourth in Ks). Red Sox-Yankees from the NYT archives, 2003: 'As the biggest hit of Aaron Boone's life sailed into the seats down the left-field line, Mariano Rivera raced for the mound and knelt there, kissing the dirt and thanking God. Boone danced around the bases, raising his arms, beaming, grinning wildly. And there was Rivera, overcome with joy, the kind of mystical October euphoria that has sometimes seemed out of reach for these Yankees, celebrating in his own way… The Yankees rode Rivera's effort and Boone's blast to a 6-5 victory in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, completing a stirring comeback against their tortured century-old rival. Boone, who had struggled for months and was not in the starting lineup last night, accomplished the unthinkable: a sudden strike to win the pennant, an instant spot in the pantheon of Yankee legends.' — Tyler Kepner Advertisement Most homers for Boston vs. New York Most homers for New York vs. Boston Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Aaron Judge: Al Bello / Getty Images)


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Photos of May spring rituals: commencements, Celtics playoffs, Boston Calling
People were reflected in an advertisement on a bus stop in Boston on May 15. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum grimaced in pain on the floor during game four of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 12. Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the final minutes of Boston's loss. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff A pedestrian walked on Boylston Street at an intersection by Massachusetts Avenue in Boston on May 15. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Lilah Bilotta, 7, threw out her arms to run through the sea of American flags as she took a break from helping to create the Memorial Day Flag Garden on Boston Common on May 21. Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund and Home Base planted more than 37,000 flags for Memorial Day in honor of Massachusetts veterans who gave their lives. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff .image { margin-top: 100px; } .image figcaption { display: block; max-width: 750px; margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; font-size: 18px; caption-side: bottom; line-height: 1.5; } Bernardino Chavarría and his daughter Nahomy, 18, passed beneath a giant American flag painted by her classmates that read, 'The American Dream,' at Champlain Valley Union High School. Teachers and administrators scrambled to put together a graduation for Nahomy and her sister, who had chosen with their family to self-deport after the Trump administration sought to terminate the parole program that they had come to the United States under. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Nahomy Chavarría (left) embraced her sister Andrea during a reception held for them after a special commencement exercise of the Champlain Valley Union High School in Williston, Vt. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Mohsen Mahdawi kneeled to examine a plant while on a hike on his land in Fairlee, Vt., on May 7. Mahdawi, a Palestinian national and Columbia student, was arrested by ICE agents last month when he showed up for a citizenship meeting. He faces deportation. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Juan Francisco Mendez hugged his wife, Marilu Domingo Ortiz, and their 9-year-old son in their home in New Bedford on May 16. A native of Guatemala, Méndez was detained by immigration officials for 30 days before his release. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Members of the singing group O.G. (Original Gentlemen), from left, Robert Rose, Albert Brown, and Jabir Pope, performed an a cappella song during a rally for the wrongfully convicted outside the Massachusetts State House in Boston on May 21. The demonstration commemorated the five-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder while advocating for criminal justice reform. Erin Clark/Globe Staff A woman wore a poncho to protect herself from wind-blown rain on Atlantic Avenue during a rare spring nor'easter in Boston on May 22. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Members of the class of 2025 attended Harvard University's 374th commencement in Cambridge on May 29. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Jess Frey, a yoga educator, leapt from one of her favorite sitting spots by a stream at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge. 'Sometimes in life we all are invited to change - leap - jump - step - transform into new ways of being (personal and collective as a world)," she wrote in an email. Martha and Howard Kaloogian (center), founders of Grace New England church in Weare, N.H., worshipped with other congregants at a prayer service in the barn on their property on May 3. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Reenactor Doug Ozelius played the part of a fatally shot Royal Navy sailor during a staged skirmish on the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Chelsea Creek celebration in East Boston on May 24. The Revolution's first naval battle involved colonial militia facing off with British troops and the HMS Diana. It ended with a victory for the colonists and the destruction of the British schooner. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff A jogger ran on the North Point Pedestrian Bridge in Cambridge on May 14. The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge loomed in the background. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Fans cheered after Boston Celtics center Al Horford made a 3-point basket during the second quarter in game five of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Hubbardston Militia reenactor Bella Kaldera secured a tricorner Revolutionary War hat as a modern-day Coast Guard helicopter landed at Beverly High School during a Warrior Weekend event on May 18.