
Leeds as good as safe? Thumping Burnley win opens nine-point gap to drop
Leeds United's 3-1 win over Burnley secures a nine-point gap from relegation.
Colin Cowherd critiques the Boston Celtics for being overly reliant on the 3-pointer under coach Joe Mazzulla. Their performance in the playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers highlights this issue.
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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla
Colin Cowherd Explains Why Celtics Are Too Stuck In Their Ways originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics have lived and died by the 3-pointer under Joe Mazzulla, and that's been true again during their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
In all three of their losses against the 76ers, the Celtics shot worse than 30 percent from beyond the arc. In all three of their wins, they shot at least 36 percent from downtown, including better thanĀ 40 percent in two of them.
That's been a trend for Boston for years, which is why Colin Cowherd thinks the Celtics are more of a formula than a true team under Mazzulla and Brad Stevens.
"The Celtics are a great formula more than they are a great team," Cowherd said on Friday's episode of "The Herd." "General manager, schemes, depth, how Brown and Tatum play together... The Celtics are more formula than fantastic."
Cowherd noted that, under Mazzulla in the postseason, Boston isĀ 17-1 when it shoots at leastĀ 40 percent from three and .500 when it doesn't.
Colin Cowherd believes the Celtics are too dependent on the 3-pointer, which has affected their performance in crucial playoff games.
In their three losses to the 76ers, the Celtics shot worse than 30 percent from beyond the arc, while they shot at least 36 percent in their wins.
Joe Mazzulla's coaching has led the Celtics to rely heavily on 3-point shooting, which has proven inconsistent in their playoff series against the 76ers.

Leeds United's 3-1 win over Burnley secures a nine-point gap from relegation.
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The Celtics' formula works in the regular season over the long haul, which explains why they were so good this year despite missing Tatum for most of the season. They can simply plug guys into their system.
In the playoffs, however, their formula is less successful. Anything can happen in a short series, where variance is more of a factor. A few off-shooting nights can sink Boston against inferior opponents.
For the record, Cowherd still expects the Celtics to win Game 7. But if they don't make their threes, that's going to be very difficult.