{"id":229482,"date":"2026-04-13T09:03:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229482\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:03:11","slug":"luka-garza-joe-mazzulla-explain-wild-game-winning-shot-to-beat-orlando-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229482\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka Garza, Joe Mazzulla, Explain Wild Game-Winning Shot to Beat Orlando Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe Mazzulla<\/a> called a timeout with 36 seconds left in a tie game knowing his Boston Celtics<\/a> could get two chances at scoring if they hurried. They had about five or six seconds to execute a two-for-one situation and make sure they\u2019d get the last chance to score, just in case Orlando made a basket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe drew up a play for me to come off a screen,\u201d Luka Garza<\/a> said after the game. \u201cWe wanted to go for the two-for-one, so I knew once I caught it, I had to go up with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did, with Wendell Carter Jr. right in his face. And he drilled it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garzilla came in CLUTCH \ud83d\udc4c<\/p>\n

Luka Garza with the big time three in tonight’s @JetBlue<\/a> Play of the Game pic.twitter.com\/Rv25yZNfUh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI just knew I wanted to get it off quick and obviously I tried to face up,\u201d Garza explained. \u201cIt was kind of a wild shot, but I’m glad I went in.\u201d<\/p>\n

So where the 19,000 or so people at TD Garden, who exploded when that shot fell. The crowd showed up not knowing what to expect, but as the game wore on and Boston never let the Magic pull away, the crowd got more and more into it. When the Celtics flipped the game in the third quarter, out-scoring the Magic 42-20, the building was as loud as it had been all season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they helped us get that third-quarter run, and I think they kept us in it,\u201d Joe Mazzulla said. \u201cBut I think the great thing about our fans is, one, they’re smart, they know good basketball. Two, they care about winning. They care about playing the right way, and I think as they see that, that’s what they want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not often a team trying to win its 56th game of the season can call itself the underdog, but that’s what the Celtics were with the eight guys they had available<\/a>. Half of those guys were on two-way contracts. A fifth, Dalano Banton, was signed so recently that his name isn\u2019t even on his locker yet. That left Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Garza as the main players (as opposed to the rest of the guys being the Maine players).<\/p>\n

So when the Celtics needed a quick bucket, Mazzulla went to the guy shooting 43% on the season, coaching this rag tag bunch the same way he\u2019d coach Game 7 of the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery rarely, you’re in a situation like that, one timeout, 35 seconds, you get the two-for-one,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cSo it’s a credit to Luka to just get a play off there, but that allowed us to kind of play situational basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like almost everything else this season, things worked out almost perfectly for the Celtics. A highly improbable season ended with a highly improbable win and a highly improbable hero. Add it to the list of things no one could have predicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But that’s part of what makes it so cool.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt awesome ,\u201d Garza said. \u201cSeeing it go in, just feeling the crowd too, it was definitely a top moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n