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Why Joe Mazzulla went with head-scratching starting lineup in Celtics' Game 7 loss

New York Post·Bryan Fonseca·30 days ago
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Luka Garza, Ron Harper Jr. and Baylor Scheierman started a combined 29 games all season. 2026 Coach of the Year finalist Joe Mazzulla began the Boston Celtics’ season-ending Game 7 loss Saturday night with all three of them in the starting lineup once All-NBA staple Jayson Tatum was ruled out prior to gametime with a calf injury. Tatum, who returned in March after rupturing his Achilles almost exactly one year ago to the date, injured his other leg during Boston’s Game 6 loss on April 30, forcing him to be day-to-day. Joe Mazzulla looks on during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7. Getty Images Mazzulla decided, without Tatum, that the team would also bench starting center Neemias Queta for Garza, and add Harper Jr. and Scheierman on the wings in place of Tatum and sharpshooter Sam Hauser. “I thought it was a couple things we saw tactically we wanted to test out,” Mazzulla said in defense of his bizarre starting five in Game 7.…

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