Joe Mazzulla’s Game 7 experience has been as an assistant coach, including last year when the Celtics won two of them on their way to the NBA Finals.

One of them was a 28-point blowout.

The other was a one-possession game in the final seconds.

“We know how to win easy and we know how to battle to the death,” the rookie head coach said Saturday as he prepared for his first winner-take-all game as the No. 1 guy. “Definitely looking forward to Game 7.”

The Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers today at 12:30 p.m. for the last remaining spot in the NBA’s final four. It’s just the second series to reach a seventh game so far this postseason.

“We know what we have to do,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was crowned as the NBA MVP during the series. “It’s going to be fun. Game 7. That’s what we play, for these types of games.”

The Celtics earned the home-court advantage by finishing three games ahead of Philadelphia in the standings; Boston also won three of the four matchups in the regular season. (The winner of today’s game will also have home-court edge in the NBA Finals, if they can eliminate Miami in the Eastern Conference finals.)

But playing at the TD Garden hasn’t been such an advantage for Boston: The Celtics have gone just 7-9 in their past 16 home playoff games — a far cry from the days when playing on the parquet was almost a sure thing.

Boston swingman Jaylen Brown has heard the complaints from fans who’ve watched the team cough up big leads and give away games in both playoff series so far this postseason.

And the feeling is mutual.

“Celtics fans, they love to call us out, right? So I’m gonna call you guys out this time,” Brown said after the Celtics won in Philadelphia on Thursday night to force a seventh game. “Energy in the Garden has been OK at best all playoffs. Game 7, if you’re there or if you’re not there, if you’re watching at a bar, if you’re watching down the street at a friend’s house, I don’t care. I need you to be up, I need you to come with the energy, because we’re gonna need every bit of it. So I’m calling you guys out. Let’s make sure the Garden is ready to go.”

The Celtics are 26-9 in Game 7s all-time, including two wins last year on their way to the NBA Finals. The Sixers are 6-11, losing their all three winner-take-all games since their last trip to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers has blown 3-1 leads in seven-game series three times in his career. Philadelphia was up 3-2 over Boston this year, but another collapse would add to his reputation for collapses. He has lost nine Game 7s — four more than any other coach, according to ESPN.

Suns fire Williams after postseason bust

The Phoenix Suns fired Monty Williams on Saturday, two years after reaching the NBA Finals and a year after he was the overwhelming choice as the coach of the year, two people with knowledge of the decision said.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the decision.

Williams had great success in his four regular seasons in Phoenix, winning 63% of his games. But three consecutive years of playoff frustration was likely too much for the Suns to overlook — especially after two straight years of Phoenix trailing by 30 points at halftime of elimination games at home.

The Suns had a 2-0 lead in the 2021 NBA Finals, only to lose in six games. They lost in the second round in each of the last two seasons, both times in an embarrassing finale — last year to Dallas, this year to Denver.

“Neither day feels good,” Williams said after the loss earlier this week to Denver, when asked to compare last season’s debacle to this year’s season-ending loss.

Warriors, others have decisions to make

Golden State has decisions to make now. Big decisions. Dallas does, too. And Milwaukee. And more.

It’s the best time of year in the NBA — with the playoff field getting down to its final four today.

It’ll be followed by the co-best time of year in the NBA — July, when free agency time means some teams are going to wildly change.

The Warriors’ reign as NBA champions ended Friday night with a loss to the Lakers, and it served as a reminder that nobody — not even a team with four titles in nine years — can escape the need to make changes. And if the enormous-spending Warriors need changing, then a whole lot of other teams do as well.

“I still feel like this team has championship potential,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We didn’t get there this year, but it’s not like this is the end of the road. But the organization has some decisions to make and we’ll eventually get to that point.”

They’re not alone.

Consider: Milwaukee had the best record in the NBA this season, the No. 1 overall seed and home-court advantage throughout the entirety of the playoffs. The Bucks won only one playoff game, wound up firing coach Mike Budenholzer and surely will consider how much deeper they want to get into the luxury tax — while also making sure they do enough to give Giannis Antetokounmpo more title chances.

“I believe we will have a very attractive position,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. “We have the best player in the world. We have a championship culture and organization. We have great facilities. I think we have great respect around the league. So, I think we’ll have a lot options.”

Dallas — which somehow missed the playoffs — will need to make a decision on free-agent-in-waiting Kyrie Irving and what works best for Luka Doncic. Portland