BOSTON — The Boston Celtics are off to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years, however this would be the first journey to the championship spherical for head coach Joe Mazzulla. By taking his staff to the Finals this season, Mazzulla etched his identify into the report books alongside the best winner basketball has ever seen.
At simply 35, Mazzulla is the youngest head coach to succeed in the NBA Finals since Invoice Russell did it in 1969. Russell was additionally 35 when he led the Celtics to a title over the Los Angeles Lakers, though there’s a huge distinction between him and Mazzulla: Russell was nonetheless taking part in and averaging 46.1 minutes per recreation along with teaching the staff.
Luckily, the Celtics didn't must ask Mazzulla to placed on some Chuck Taylors and attempt to block opponents on protection. There is no such thing as a doubt that he would if requested, however he’s solely allowed to give attention to teaching the staff. And he's proven loads of progress on the bench in his second yr as Boston's head coach.
It helps that he has a staff led by Jayson Tatum, Japanese Convention Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and veterans Jrue Vacation and Al Horford, the latter of whom is older than Mazzulla. Horford will flip 38 a number of days earlier than the NBA Finals start.
However we shouldn't overlook the work Mazzulla did in the course of the common season and playoffs. He's managed to maintain everybody pleased on a crowded roster, and the staff's 11.6 internet score is tied for third-best in NBA historical past. Mazzulla is now coming off a streak the place he outplayed Indiana's Rick Carlisle, calling for large breaks when Boston wanted a break and discovering the very best substitutions to vary the momentum of video games.
After the Celtics secured their spot within the NBA Finals with one other comeback win towards the Pacers on Monday evening, Mazzulla had an vital message for his staff after the celebration died down.
“Don't take the folks we’ve on this room without any consideration, and it's a credit score to you guys,” Mazzulla stated of the Celtics. “You guys performed [expletive] disabling your entire collection. And we’re nothing with out you as gamers. I wish to be sure that we admire that.
“We've been right here earlier than. Let's rejoice, however not loosen up,” he continued. “I tasted it earlier than two years in the past. Let's take pleasure in [expletive] out of it for a number of days. After which let's actually go after it.”
Mazzulla was an assistant on Ime Udoka's employees when the Celtics reached the Finals in 2022, dropping to the Golden State Warriors in six video games. He was thrust into the position of head coach after Udoka was suspended the next season (and finally waived by the staff) for violating a number of staff guidelines.
Taking up a staff with title aspirations wasn't the simplest place for a rookie head coach, however the Rhode Island native gained 57 video games and the Celtics returned to the Japanese Convention Finals earlier than dropping in seven video games to Miami Warmth.
The Celtics have been even higher in 2023-24, ending with the very best report within the NBA at 64-18. Now, the Celtics are again within the NBA Finals, and whereas they actually have a star-studded lineup, Mazzulla deserves his share of the credit score for getting the staff again to the sport's greatest stage.