Joe Mazzulla had two words on his mind when he was asked about the tip-in with 0.2 seconds left as the buzzer expired sending the Boston Celtics back home for a game seven.
“Game seven,” Mazzulla calmly said after the game about what went through his mind.
There have been 150 instances of teams in the NBA Playoffs trailing 0-3 in a series. Mazzulla’s 2022-2023 Boston Celtics are the fourth to force a game seven.
The opportunity wasn’t almost there for Boston late. The Celtics led for the majority of the game, but Al Horford fouled Jimmy Butler with 3.0 seconds left, and the Celtics leading by two. Butler made all three free throws as he was attempting a three-point shot, giving the Celtics one last opportunity to save their season.
Marcus Smart hoisted up a three-pointer, before Derrick White came sprinting from the corner to tip the missed shot as time expired, giving the Celtics the victory.
Game seven is set to be played in Boston at 8:30 p.m. Monday night, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals to face the Denver Nuggets.
