Is Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics coach, misunderstood? He Describes in Dog Terms
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has a lot of detractors for leading a team that dominated the regular season and is currently 8-2 in the postseason. With an NBA-best record of 64-18, Mazzulla led Boston to an advantage over the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks, by 14 games. The Celtics are on their way to their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals after defeating the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2024 postseason.
However, Mazzulla is frequently chastised. Mazzulla has received a fair amount of criticism during Boston’s winning season, whether it is for making poor play-calling decisions in the closing minutes of games or failing to call a timeout when necessary. Mazzulla is only in his second year as an NBA coach, having claimed in his first year that he was misunderstood.
Mazzulla’s numbers during his two seasons as the Celtics coach are difficult to dispute. He is 121-43 in the regular season. He guided the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003, and in 2024, his team will return there. They have a big advantage to win the 2024 title.
In 2023, he was appointed head coach following Ime Udoka’s suspension by the Celtics for breaking team regulations. Mazzulla talked candidly about his first year as the head coach of one of the most recognizable teams in sports, saying it was a teaching moment.
Mazzulla was questioned if he has ever felt misunderstood throughout his career in a video released by NBC Sports Boston. He responded right away.
“I felt that way in my first season last year,” Mazzulla remarked. “Who am I, kind of, in this box? What kind of person is the Boston Celtics coach expected to be?
“I believe that when you take on the role of head coach and leader, you have to figure out how to claim that space as your own. Not only did I not think it was not the right time or place in Year 1 given our expectations, but I also didn’t really have the time to do so. Really, it wasn’t about me.