Joe Mazzulla couldn't contain his smile.
One day after his Celtics set NBA records for the most 3-point attempts (60) and misses (45) in a playoff game en route to a Game 1 loss to the Knicks, a reporter asked Mazzulla about Boston's 3-point defense and pointed out that New York made more than half of its 3-pointers (11 for 19) in the second half Monday night.
"So, they made them," the Celtics interrupted with a grin. "Man, what a novel idea. That’s a novel concept, huh? Just make them when you’re open."
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SIGN UP HERE Mazzulla clearly had heard the criticism about Boston's 3-point-heavy attack in Game 1, which backfired in a big way. Just one of the Celtics' 20 shot attempts in the third quarter was a 2-pointer, and 34 of their 41 attempts in the second half were 3-pointers. The C's made just nine of those deep attempts, blowing a 20-point lead and losing home-court advantage as the Knicks took a 1-0 lead in the second-round series.
But if you think Boston's misses will deter the team from hoisting up more 3-pointers in Game 2, you don't know Mazzulla.
"The duality of that question is really cool to talk about," Mazzulla continued. "We start the press conference off by saying, ‘You took all these and you missed them.’ And then you say, ‘They shot 50 percent in the second half from three.’ Yeah, you have to make them.”
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There's nuance to the 3-point discussion, of course. While the Celtics have been historically reliant on deep balls -- they smashed NBA records for 3-point makes and attempts during the regular season -- they're at their best when they get quality looks off good ball movement. Their offense was more stagnant in Game 1, however, which led to a few forced 3-pointers that Mazzulla admits he'd like his team to have back.
"I loved the majority of our shots,” Mazzulla added. "There were probably 10 or 11 you could probably take back considering the ebbs and flows of how the game was going at that particular time.
"So, you have to be able to do both. You have to be able to make open shots and you have to have that understanding of the ebbs and flows of a game. Coaching shot selection is always easy. Hindsight’s always 20/20."
The Celtics swept their regular-season series against the Knicks this season thanks in part to excellent 3-point shooting; they made at least 17 3s on 38.6 percent shooting or better in all four matchups. So, Mazzulla and Co. are likely banking on the idea that Monday's brick-fest was an aberration.
But the C's still need to make a concerted effort to get better looks from distance, or Mazzulla will be facing more pressing questions going forward. Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday at TD Garden, with NBC Sports Boston's coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
