Joe Mazzulla says the way the Celtics cut down turnovers in the second half of Game 4 against the Cavaliers was as simple as just passing “to the guys with the green jerseys”.
The Boston Celtics tightened their grip on the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-102 to extend their series lead to 3-1. After Boston committed 10 turnovers in the first half, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla offered a simple explanation for how the team cut back on the turnovers in the second half.
"Just passing to the guys with the green jerseys," Mazzulla told the media on what the team did differently. "That's poise. That's like the most poise you can have."
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Jaylen Brown accounted for four of Boston's first half turnovers, while Jayson Tatum and Luke Kornet each tallied two and Payton Pritchard and Jrue Holiday had one apiece.
When asked to further clarify his statement, Mazzulla stuck to the simplicity of his original quote.
"Literally, just pass [to the right team]," the second-year coach said. "Balls are getting deflected and thrown out of bounds -- just pass. That's it. That simple. I'm being dead serious. Just stay spaced and make the right pass."
The Celtics clearly took Mazzulla's blunt advice to heart, limiting their second-half turnovers to just four as they held on for a seven-point victory.
Boston will look to close out the conference semifinals back at TD Garden on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET, with NBC Sports Boston's Celtics Pregame Live coverage beginning at 6 p.m.
