MIAMI — Joe Mazzulla admitted after Game 3 that an 0-3 deficit has disconnected players and coaches. A day after, Malcolm Brogdon faced the media in their hotel ballroom. He hadn’t yet spoken to many of his teammates that morning as they stood just over 24 hours from potential elimination.
It’s been a disjointed postseason to say the least, watching players simultaneously taking a larger share of the leadership role and struggling to stay together. That latter issue only appeared within the past week with the thrill of a 2-3 comeback against the 76ers masking locker room issues that never went addressed earlier in the season.