The Boston Celtics got six minutes before Joe Mazzulla had to change his plans. Neemias Queta, the only recognisable center, suffered an ankle sprain in the first quarter. The seven-footer couldn’t return, leaving the head coach to make a brave choice. Mazzulla decided to go small, and that created advantages for the Celtics.

The tallest player on the floor after Queta’s injury was 6’8”. It was a risk, considering the Orlando Magic’s dynamism. But Mazzulla was willing to look at the benefits rather than map out their weaknesses. And that proved to be a successful tactic, securing the Shamrocks an important win.

“Yeah, always advantages, disadvantages. The advantages the speed that we could play with on the offensive end, the dribble drive, the pace that we could create defensively, we could pressure a little bit more. Obviously disadvantages, but you know, I think you play faster, so you’re just managing the sub patterns because I think, you know, obviously exert more energy,” said the Celtics head coach about playing small.

The greatest advantage it created was an increased pace. It opened up the court for the Celtics, and they had weapons who could utilize the open pasture. Anfernee Simons supplied 22 points in just 23 minutes, shooting a blistering 72.7% from the field. Six Celtics players scored in double digits.

However, Joe Mazzulla will still need to make some repairs to the small-ball tactic. Notably, he felt the game was even because the Magic opted to play small as well. “When you have 10 guys out there, you can do it, just becomes a track meet,” he said. And the Magic came within striking distance of a comeback. That became possible because of the disadvantage that comes with playing a smaller lineup.

The Celtics had to survive a fourth-quarter scare

The Celtics managed to run a seamless offense with their small lineup. The team shoots 60.2% from the floor. However, they didn’t account for just how terrifying the Magic can be on the glass. They didn’t have their tallest players, but still managed to grab 6 offensive rebounds in the final quarter alone.

Jett Howard and Jase Richardson nearly turned the game on its head. Howard scored 22 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, going on a 14-point self-run at one point. Additionally, Richardson added 14, burning the Celtics’ 26-point lead to single digits. And their defense was equally good.

The Celtics couldn’t take advantage of their spacing in the final 12 minutes. The Magic held them to shooting 28.6% from beyond the arc in the fourth. Had Jaylen Brown not stepped up, the Celtics could have lost the grip on a game that should have never come this close. Brown made both of the Shamrocks’ threes in the final quarter, en route to an efficient 13-point effort to give the Celtics the win.

Without Queta, the Shamrocks will have to learn how to contain oppositions from attacking the offensive glass. The Magic grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, creating a 21-10 second-chance points advantage. While playing with pace and spacing is advantageous with the Celtics’ array of scoring options, Mazzulla needs to find a balance or make some tactical changes to prevent such scenarios.

The Magic didn’t have Paolo Banchero, a man with tremendous size and strength. But if Queta does miss a few games, the Celtics have no choice but to counter bigger teams with a small lineup. In such cases, they could create a greater disadvantage for themselves. How do you think Mazzulla can find parity on the boards with a smaller lineup? Let us know your views in the comments below.