Odd lineups dug a hole, but for Joe Mazzulla, late mistakes cost Boston Celtics in Game 7

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla turned some heads with his unorthodox starting lineup for Game 7 of his team's 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. While Jaylen Brown and Derrick White started as usual, they were also joined by Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, and Ron Harper Jr. The initial results were far from ideal, with Boston starting the contest in a 9-point hole to Philly as the Sixers came out swinging vs. a lineup that had previously logged precisely 0 minutes together (and it showed). But the resulting confusion was not limited to the Celtics, with the 76ers racking up fouls at a high rate. "It was a couple things we saw tactically we wanted to test out," said Mazzulla of his unusual starting five. "Obviously give the series a little bit of a different feel, and take advantage of the roster that we’ve had, take advantage of the guys that can impact plays and whatnot" "So, (I) thought it was great by the guys, and we came up short," suggested the Celtics coach. Still, it was not the deficit at the start of the contest where the game was lost for Boston. An inability for those (or any) players to hit open looks late in the fourth quarter ultimately doomed the Celtics, who had made it a game by late in the second frame.