The consensus wisdom heading into the tilt between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons on Wednesday (Nov. 26) evening was that the Pistons' massive size advantage -- especially in the frontcourt with starting Celtics center Neemias Queta out injured with a sprained ankle -- had Boston in a very disadvantageous spot that would be hard for the Celtics to overcome.
But Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla looked at that dynamic and turned the logic on its head, pushing his team to secure whatever margins they could as a smaller team -- and it worked, the Celtics stealing a 117-114 home win despite early-season Most Valuable Player candidate Cade Cunningham going for 42 points. Mazzulla spoke after the win, breaking down how he helped his team turn their size into an advantage where others saw weakness.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"One, it just gave us some cross-matches on the offensive end, put them in some tough spots," said the Celtics coach.
Nov 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Washington Wizards at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images"Offensively, they’re a really good defensive team, when they can slow you down with their physicality, and I thought that we were able to play with some space," he added. "And then defensively I thought we battled."
"It almost forced us to have a heightened awareness to the physicality that’s necessary to be able to play, and I thought we did the best job that we could on the offensive glass throughout those stretches."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mazzulla on how Celtics made being small into an advantage vs. Pistons
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