Joe Mazzulla and some unheralded Celtics reserves find meaning in short-handed win

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard were sidelined by phony injuries. Jayson Tatum sat next to them in street clothes on the bench. A group of lesser-known players wore the home whites in their places.At the beginning of the regular season, some critics suspected the Boston Celtics would wrap up their schedule in similar fashion. It’s a testament to everything they have already accomplished that, with the Eastern Conference’s second seed wrapped up, they were able to do it on their own terms. They weren’t sheepishly concluding a disappointing season but resting up for what could be a long playoff run.Advertisement