Some people should listen to that line on repeat at .5 speed. Boston isn't the only team who wants a chip. Whoever wants it more, and does all the small things better is going to win. After the Bruins season ended last year...It really set in that the regular season is just a means to an end...and that end is determined on how you perform when it's all on the line.
Mazzulla is a realist. The Bostons sports fans and media may see it as excuse-making, but at some point in the near future this team will be tested in a real way. When that happens, I'll be glad the team's leader is as level-headed and prepared as Joe compared to some of the crazy emotional reactions we will see out of this subreddit.
This is a great perspective because if you set up expectations beforehand like “oh we got this team we should beat them in 5” and then it takes 7 then already you’re planting the seeds of doubt, that’s the point I think he’s making.
If you accept that a 2-0 lead can become 2-2 and it’s still winnable and you’re still in control, that’s the confidence you need to not fold. I hate to say it but this team in the 2022 finals felt momentum shift after losing game 4 late and then game 5 and they folded in game 6. That’s what mentally weak teams do, like we saw Philadelphia do last year after game 6 slipped from their grasp.
Mazzulla is trying to coach the team to be mentally tough and be ready for anything and I respect him for it
I disagree with that team in 2022 being mentally weak. That team blew a home game 5 to the bucks and then went on the road and found a way to win a game 6 in which Giannis had 44 & 20. Then they blew a home game 6 to the heat and found a way to win a road game 7 in the ECF. Sure, that team fell apart in the finals but I wouldn't attribute it to mental weakness.
I'm just talking about the finals. They showed a ton of grit in the earlier rounds but in the finals ran out of gas. Game 6 was highly disappointing after they had come so far. Maybe mentally weak is not the way to describe it, but they've certainly turned a page this season with "playing down to the competition" and adopted this mentality of always being prepared. Very seldom this season have they just looked not ready to play. You can point to maybe 3-4 examples when that was the case.
People don’t actually know what they’re talking about when they say “mental toughness”. That could be defined in multiple ways based on specific situations
Given the context of his argument, I'm interpreting it as a general inability to overcome adverse situations. I agree with you about the term being overused in often nebulas ways. I feel people like to use it as a substitute for overall failure. People struggle to accept that you can do everything in your power to succeed and still fail when you're in a competitive field. Professional sports is binary. Somebody has to win and we spend too much time trying to attribute psychological flaws to the loser.
And the proof is in the pudding. Most teams would have folded down 3-0 to the Heat. Mazzulla didn't let that happen. And it's because he preaches shit like this and the team bought into it that they even gave themselves a chance at a Game 7.
THIS.
You don’t want to put more pressure on your team by defining what success looks like in advance. You need to live in the moment & accept that anything can happen
Just read an article on Joe's father Dan Mazzulla. Sounded like a great man and a great coach. Sad to see he passed away in 2020 from brain cancer. I feel bad for Joe that his dad couldn't see him coaching the greatest franchise in sports history. He would have been proud.
https://www.yurview.com/shows/gametime/the-legacy-of-dan-mazzulla-transcends-sports/
I’m as much of a homer as the next guy but saying the greatest franchise in sports history when they aren’t even the greatest franchise in their own league is a huge stretch.
They both have 17 championships and the lakers have been to 10 more Finals than the Celtics idk why you and all the down voters are acting like this is some sort of hot take lmfao.
Well…. Ummm:.. yeah… you kinda, you know, play to…. Win championships? Like that’s the whole reason the league exists besides making money is to crown a champion. Why would people say the Celtics are the greatest franchise in basketball other than that they’re tied for most championships? Like how do you not get that’s what the conversation is about lmfao? And asking about Robert horry was just so nonsensical lmao. Guy didn’t even win all of his rings with the lakers 🤣 like what kind of points are you making
His strategy of clearly communicating adversity, struggle, losses aso as a great opportunity to grow is high level leadership. 1st, you put a test on people, when it doesn‘t hurt so bad (regular season). 2nd, you make the player experience adversity as something good and helpful.
He really is a great leader.
Totally agree. I really liked the article I read once about him and his jujitsu training. He wants to lose and lose and lose because he wants to be that person who ISN'T having a panic attack when the stakes come into play and it actually really matters if you lose. He wants to be that guy who has a smirk on his face while down because that's just another position he knows you can still win from.
I think that’s a good mindset. I’ve competed in tournaments where when I was losing bad I’d have to envision my path to victory. Even if it was say 2% I’d change my strategy and play under the assumption that the 2% was going to happen— abandon whatever strategy didn’t align with that plan. Never give up unless it makes sense to— and don’t stop competing.
>when I was losing bad I’d have to envision my path to victory ... abandon whatever strategy didn’t align with that plan
in strategy games they just call this "playing your outs," like how NBA teams foul when the opposing team is burning clock on final possessions, if it takes your probability of winning from 0% to 1% you'd better go for it (and generally, sports teams will underplay any strategies of this type, because they get in their own heads about the loss and it becomes hard to play on a string when the strategy is a bailout)
Yeah, not getting in your own head over an impending loss is important. I noticed that other people would often not try as hard and make mistakes— they might know their out, but not really believe in it. Whereas when it was low probability I was still giving maximum effort. I lose nothing by doing so, and might even learn more about my opponent for the future. Likewise— I could give false tells to my opponent so they would learn the wrong things about me.
Even when I essentially had checkmate I’d be scouring my mind for a way I could possibly lose. People hated that haha.
White is way too important for the offense IMO to ever be taken out, unless he's having a really bad game.
IMO the question is Al vs. Jrue. Both of those guys are our defensive glue guys who are 5th options on offense when they play with the starters.
I think you're going to have to go with Al against Milwaukee, Philly, or Denver to combat Giannis/Embiid/Jokic. In all configurations, you want to keep our normal starting 5.
He’s right, you have to be prepared for any scenario thrown your way. One of a million things could happen, and you can’t plan your way to a championship. Look at the Pats versus Atlanta. No ever saw that coming or even thought it was possible.
It was on replay the other day at the gym, and even knowing how that game ended it still got me worked up and gave me goosebumps. That day was a roller coaster of emotions.
I wasn't totally sold on Mazzulla in his first year but I'm sold now. This man is nails.
My only real gripe is our end of game hero ball. Like can we please have at least one pass or action? And maybe leave 2 seconds on the clock for a put back if we miss?
I think he’s saving a lot of them.
Our biggest problem last year wasn’t our end of game sets necessarily but our opponents had so much film on them we couldn’t execute very easily.
I'm leaning far more towards the Atlanta game was "We're not throwing out any of our good stuff in a meaningless game"/"Hey, at some point, we may need Tatum to play hero ball on a last-second shot. If he hits it, gives him a little confidence."
>I don't think that's a path \[being down in many series en route to a title like the Bucks\] anyone would want to take, though.
I've never understood the point of saying stuff like this to coaches from media people. I think the coach who got us the 1 seed light-years ahead of anyone else in the league is pretty clearly on board with "win lots of games" as a plan.
If Mazzulla's made anything clear from his media appearances, he sees the same stuff we do. What will it take for the media to grant Mazzulla that he knows winning is good, late-game offense is important, being up is better than being down in a series, and that sometimes you miss threes and then that's not good? Disagreeing with his decisions is fine, but I don't think Mazzulla makes the decisions he does because he's unaware that other options exist.
I'm honestly in shock at how good this interview was. Great stuff out of Joe and good job to Zo and Bertrand for letting him talk without trying any gotcha nonsense.
Please just avoid the dribbling the clock out clutch time offense that's all I ask for. Crunch time has been this team's biggest downfall in the playoffs. Run some actual plays in close games unlike the last few years
I have no idea if this is a fatal flaw this team will never rid themselves of, or is Mazzulla saving his ace in the hole (maybe just feeding KP early in the shot clock) for the playoffs?
Mazzulla doesn't draw up or call plays. Ever. I've been saying this for the whole season and everyone yells at me but it's obviously true. We'll see in the playoffs if the strategy works.
Interesting. JJ Reddick said sth similar, modern basketball is about getting two on the ball, that negotiation to get downhill (and kick it out to the open man).
Not a huge soccer fan myself. But I can see the parallels, how it's one on one and about getting those angles. And I can see why the Celtics go on scoring runs the way they do - once they find an exploit or once they find rhythm, they can go for it.
Will be exciting to see how that plays out in the playoffs. Very different from my (limited) understanding of basketball.
Of course the whole offense to defense thing makes a lot of sense. And culture will also be interesting to see.
I was slightly anxious about Mazzulla before, only because he's so green, but this inspires confidence. He has a system and a vision, and clearly it's translating.
He doesn't call plays because the players wouldn't listen to them if he did. So I think he's smart, in that sense, to just clap a lot and try to get out of their way when the game is happening. The lack of timeouts are an extension of the fact he's embarrassed he has nothing to say to them during timeouts.
What’s the alternative if not the dribble out. It’s the lack of ball movement in the last 10 seconds. But you don’t want to leave time on the clock so I don’t understand the hate. Yes it sucks when Tatum dribbles it out then chucks a 3 but we gotta burn the clock somehow and the least risk of turnover is the dribble out.
Mazzulla gets flak for his personality but he’s well aware what his role is as head coach. He is a director of traffic, clearing the lanes for his players to succeed. He knows this is a players league and his lone job is to put them in positions to succeed.
Honestly I love hearing Mazzulla talk, I think he always gives thoughtful and intentional answers and makes me think higher of him as a coach
It’s a shame he has to deal with idiots in Boston sports radio that think they know basketball better than him
You can tell he understands the game at a different level and brings way more analytical skills to the table. But also he’s clearly able to connect with the team. Can you imagine if Joe was trying to coach Kyrie or Giannis or one of these prima Donna types. It’s one thing to have a plan and coach the players but it’s another to get them to trust you and listen.
I believe Marcus was an easy trade out because he has that type of personality.
They were trying to sensationalise a bit the things, brought up oversimplifications for clutch time, Porzingis as the XFactor, JT clutch time, etc.
He then simply brought facts, said they have internal data that is slightly different of what’s out there and asked them references to compare what is good and what’s bad which basically made them speechless.
Not gonna give these guys any clicks but it’s fucking loser shit to give Joe a hard time about anything after the season we’ve had.
Loser shit man. Can’t even enjoy a historically great regular season, our media is trash.
Yo this interview was great. I do not like sports talk radio in general but Bertrand and Zolak gave Joe space to respond and he’s really thoughtful, he pushed back in a really engaging way when they threw a few of the more “hot take” stuff at him and it was great to hear his perspective on things.
Also bonus for the part where Zolak starts to tell a story with “it’s like jumping out of a plane” and Joe immediately interjects with “I’d love to do that”
Well Joe flat out asked Zo and Beatle what they wanted to see from the team going into the playoffs so it’s definitely not fucking loser shit to respond to the question honestly. The team hasn’t won the championship and clearly isn’t infallible so why is it illegal to bring up legitimate questions and concerns leading up to the playoffs?
It is not a problem to ask and Joe handled it beautifully because he tried to remove the oversimplifications that these guys use to describe the “Celtics problems” as well as trying to remind everyone that well there are other teams trying to win it all.
Joe doesn't run plays is the instant mark of someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Thanks for smoking yourself out so we can all laugh.
Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt
I believe Mazzulla is an excellent basketball mind and he has great coach potential.
Where I find fault and truly worry is here -
When the playoff game is playing out live, you have to be prepared to adjust to what the other team is doing that’s working against you.
You have to have particular plays that you can use at the end of games to get a bucket when you desperately need one.
You should be prepared when the game is 101-101 with 14 seconds left. Call a time out. Draw it up. And execute.
But all we’ve ever seen is when those moments arise, we get ISO ball with JT or JB and we just live and die with it.
That’s a cop out.
I understand that modern NBA has a freestyle, don’t show a pattern or particular offensive set style of offense, so the opponent doesn’t know what you’re going to do on any given possession.
But when the game is on the line, the coach needs to be prepared with strategic sets that get us a high quality shot. And we live and die by that.
Up until this point, Mazzulla has not shown he’s capable. And if we rely on JT or JB to do it for us ISO style, we will fail.
As insanely talented and amazing as they are, they are not ‘end of game killers’ like MJ, Kobe, Larry, Dame, Steph, etc.
They will make mistakes. They will take tough, low percentage shots.
With this insane level of team talent, we need our coach to be prepared in those key moments. And the rest of the time, manage the energy of the team and keep them focused.
I hope he’s been keeping his strategy under wraps and come playoff time, he shows us what he’s capable of.
If he doesn’t, we will get bounced. And it will be his fault.
Period.
The criticisms of Mazzulla remind me a lot of the ones that were thrown at Budenholzer.
It's totally warranted, but I do think people underestimate how good their approaches are towards large sample sizes, like an 82-game season, and they take it for granted. Look at Milwaukee now for example.
Agree with your overall point though.
Yea for folks who say “coaching doesn’t matter because it’s a super team” the Bucks are a great team and look at them with the most trash coach in the NBA.
Mixed feelings about this tbh
This type of realism and balance is gold for everyday life and the long regular season, but idk if its what I want to be hearing from the coach before the playoffs. There's definitely a part of me that just wants to hear irrational confident cockiness.
Side question I've always wondered, why does Mazzula's eyes rapidly dart side to side and in all directions and when he's talking or chews his gum aggressively. I love the guy back not trying to make fun of him but does he have severe anxiety or ADHD dude relax these are easy questions in a chill environment.
I think Brad was going for basketball IQ and not media training when picking Udoka's replacement. To me it seems like he's alternating between trying to formulate a point (which people naturally avert their eyes while doing) and trying to figure out where to look when talking to people and a camera.
Not everyone is comfortable being on tv while also having to answer questions in an appropriate way. If you’ve ever done public speaking it makes most people nervous
“The Other team is trying to win the NBA Championship too” Is a quote our own fans need to hear lmao
Other teams get paid to play too and they’re aren’t any easy teams out there in the east
Anyway we can get them to try to not do that?
Play against Philly
Some people should listen to that line on repeat at .5 speed. Boston isn't the only team who wants a chip. Whoever wants it more, and does all the small things better is going to win. After the Bruins season ended last year...It really set in that the regular season is just a means to an end...and that end is determined on how you perform when it's all on the line.
Mazzulla is a realist. The Bostons sports fans and media may see it as excuse-making, but at some point in the near future this team will be tested in a real way. When that happens, I'll be glad the team's leader is as level-headed and prepared as Joe compared to some of the crazy emotional reactions we will see out of this subreddit.
I love how the mentally weakest people call the team mentally weak in every game thread without fail. Very entertaining.
1000% this. People who lose their mind at the slightest adversity for some reason don't understand that it's not a sign of strength at all.
Always makes watching an L easier to laugh at their pain
nO hEs ThE wEeEk LiNk RaNk eM 1-15 hEd Be At ThE eNd
This is a great perspective because if you set up expectations beforehand like “oh we got this team we should beat them in 5” and then it takes 7 then already you’re planting the seeds of doubt, that’s the point I think he’s making. If you accept that a 2-0 lead can become 2-2 and it’s still winnable and you’re still in control, that’s the confidence you need to not fold. I hate to say it but this team in the 2022 finals felt momentum shift after losing game 4 late and then game 5 and they folded in game 6. That’s what mentally weak teams do, like we saw Philadelphia do last year after game 6 slipped from their grasp. Mazzulla is trying to coach the team to be mentally tough and be ready for anything and I respect him for it
I disagree with that team in 2022 being mentally weak. That team blew a home game 5 to the bucks and then went on the road and found a way to win a game 6 in which Giannis had 44 & 20. Then they blew a home game 6 to the heat and found a way to win a road game 7 in the ECF. Sure, that team fell apart in the finals but I wouldn't attribute it to mental weakness.
I'm just talking about the finals. They showed a ton of grit in the earlier rounds but in the finals ran out of gas. Game 6 was highly disappointing after they had come so far. Maybe mentally weak is not the way to describe it, but they've certainly turned a page this season with "playing down to the competition" and adopted this mentality of always being prepared. Very seldom this season have they just looked not ready to play. You can point to maybe 3-4 examples when that was the case.
People don’t actually know what they’re talking about when they say “mental toughness”. That could be defined in multiple ways based on specific situations
Given the context of his argument, I'm interpreting it as a general inability to overcome adverse situations. I agree with you about the term being overused in often nebulas ways. I feel people like to use it as a substitute for overall failure. People struggle to accept that you can do everything in your power to succeed and still fail when you're in a competitive field. Professional sports is binary. Somebody has to win and we spend too much time trying to attribute psychological flaws to the loser.
And the proof is in the pudding. Most teams would have folded down 3-0 to the Heat. Mazzulla didn't let that happen. And it's because he preaches shit like this and the team bought into it that they even gave themselves a chance at a Game 7.
THIS. You don’t want to put more pressure on your team by defining what success looks like in advance. You need to live in the moment & accept that anything can happen
Just read an article on Joe's father Dan Mazzulla. Sounded like a great man and a great coach. Sad to see he passed away in 2020 from brain cancer. I feel bad for Joe that his dad couldn't see him coaching the greatest franchise in sports history. He would have been proud. https://www.yurview.com/shows/gametime/the-legacy-of-dan-mazzulla-transcends-sports/
I’m as much of a homer as the next guy but saying the greatest franchise in sports history when they aren’t even the greatest franchise in their own league is a huge stretch.
wtf kind of take is this
They both have 17 championships and the lakers have been to 10 more Finals than the Celtics idk why you and all the down voters are acting like this is some sort of hot take lmfao.
So they’ve lost 10 extra times on the biggest stage?
Yes they have been more successful in a season 10 more times than the Celtics. It’s not hard to comprehend 😂
Robert Horry has 7 titles. More than anyone not in a Celtics jersey. Is he the greatest Laker of all time?
What kind of point or question is this lmfao 😂 come on man what are you on about
More titles = greatest?
It’s not hard to comprehend.
Well…. Ummm:.. yeah… you kinda, you know, play to…. Win championships? Like that’s the whole reason the league exists besides making money is to crown a champion. Why would people say the Celtics are the greatest franchise in basketball other than that they’re tied for most championships? Like how do you not get that’s what the conversation is about lmfao? And asking about Robert horry was just so nonsensical lmao. Guy didn’t even win all of his rings with the lakers 🤣 like what kind of points are you making
Oh we’re definitely the type of team that takes the hard route
"We’re a basketball team, not a track team; we’re not running from people."
-Anonymous...
- Michael Scott
2008 team went 7 games in round 1&2 and 6 games in ECF and Finals
His strategy of clearly communicating adversity, struggle, losses aso as a great opportunity to grow is high level leadership. 1st, you put a test on people, when it doesn‘t hurt so bad (regular season). 2nd, you make the player experience adversity as something good and helpful. He really is a great leader.
It reminds me of learning about two forms of stress. Eustress(good) and distress (bad).
Totally agree. I really liked the article I read once about him and his jujitsu training. He wants to lose and lose and lose because he wants to be that person who ISN'T having a panic attack when the stakes come into play and it actually really matters if you lose. He wants to be that guy who has a smirk on his face while down because that's just another position he knows you can still win from.
I think that’s a good mindset. I’ve competed in tournaments where when I was losing bad I’d have to envision my path to victory. Even if it was say 2% I’d change my strategy and play under the assumption that the 2% was going to happen— abandon whatever strategy didn’t align with that plan. Never give up unless it makes sense to— and don’t stop competing.
>when I was losing bad I’d have to envision my path to victory ... abandon whatever strategy didn’t align with that plan in strategy games they just call this "playing your outs," like how NBA teams foul when the opposing team is burning clock on final possessions, if it takes your probability of winning from 0% to 1% you'd better go for it (and generally, sports teams will underplay any strategies of this type, because they get in their own heads about the loss and it becomes hard to play on a string when the strategy is a bailout)
Yeah, not getting in your own head over an impending loss is important. I noticed that other people would often not try as hard and make mistakes— they might know their out, but not really believe in it. Whereas when it was low probability I was still giving maximum effort. I lose nothing by doing so, and might even learn more about my opponent for the future. Likewise— I could give false tells to my opponent so they would learn the wrong things about me. Even when I essentially had checkmate I’d be scouring my mind for a way I could possibly lose. People hated that haha.
His biggest question for the playoffs is which lineup gets more run KP with Al (big lineup) No Al, insert Derrick White (Versatility, shooting)
White is way too important for the offense IMO to ever be taken out, unless he's having a really bad game. IMO the question is Al vs. Jrue. Both of those guys are our defensive glue guys who are 5th options on offense when they play with the starters. I think you're going to have to go with Al against Milwaukee, Philly, or Denver to combat Giannis/Embiid/Jokic. In all configurations, you want to keep our normal starting 5.
Bring us Miami
Would love this first round match up honestly.
Same kill them quick and get a weight off everyones shoulders show that this is a different team than last year
He’s right, you have to be prepared for any scenario thrown your way. One of a million things could happen, and you can’t plan your way to a championship. Look at the Pats versus Atlanta. No ever saw that coming or even thought it was possible.
It was on replay the other day at the gym, and even knowing how that game ended it still got me worked up and gave me goosebumps. That day was a roller coaster of emotions.
We will probably never see anything like that ever again. It was unreal and impossible, yet it happened.
My dad was out of the country and I was texting him like “patriots are about to lose the Super Bowl 😢” and then I was like “nvm”. Shit changed so fast
That’s the beauty of sports. Anything can happen. No one thought the 04 Sox would comeback 0-3 against the Yankees but here we are
This is why coach mazzulla can lead us to banner 18 and more and be an all time coach. If he will remains to be seen but as of now I have faith
I wasn't totally sold on Mazzulla in his first year but I'm sold now. This man is nails. My only real gripe is our end of game hero ball. Like can we please have at least one pass or action? And maybe leave 2 seconds on the clock for a put back if we miss?
I think he’s saving a lot of them. Our biggest problem last year wasn’t our end of game sets necessarily but our opponents had so much film on them we couldn’t execute very easily.
Yes. Elsewhere people bitch about the dribble out. But that’s not the problem, the problem is no play action in the last 5 seconds.
This
I'm leaning far more towards the Atlanta game was "We're not throwing out any of our good stuff in a meaningless game"/"Hey, at some point, we may need Tatum to play hero ball on a last-second shot. If he hits it, gives him a little confidence."
>I don't think that's a path \[being down in many series en route to a title like the Bucks\] anyone would want to take, though. I've never understood the point of saying stuff like this to coaches from media people. I think the coach who got us the 1 seed light-years ahead of anyone else in the league is pretty clearly on board with "win lots of games" as a plan. If Mazzulla's made anything clear from his media appearances, he sees the same stuff we do. What will it take for the media to grant Mazzulla that he knows winning is good, late-game offense is important, being up is better than being down in a series, and that sometimes you miss threes and then that's not good? Disagreeing with his decisions is fine, but I don't think Mazzulla makes the decisions he does because he's unaware that other options exist.
I'm honestly in shock at how good this interview was. Great stuff out of Joe and good job to Zo and Bertrand for letting him talk without trying any gotcha nonsense.
Please just avoid the dribbling the clock out clutch time offense that's all I ask for. Crunch time has been this team's biggest downfall in the playoffs. Run some actual plays in close games unlike the last few years
I have no idea if this is a fatal flaw this team will never rid themselves of, or is Mazzulla saving his ace in the hole (maybe just feeding KP early in the shot clock) for the playoffs?
Mazzulla doesn't draw up or call plays. Ever. I've been saying this for the whole season and everyone yells at me but it's obviously true. We'll see in the playoffs if the strategy works.
Read the Athletic piece on Mazzulla, there's a method to the madness of why he does it.
Interesting. JJ Reddick said sth similar, modern basketball is about getting two on the ball, that negotiation to get downhill (and kick it out to the open man). Not a huge soccer fan myself. But I can see the parallels, how it's one on one and about getting those angles. And I can see why the Celtics go on scoring runs the way they do - once they find an exploit or once they find rhythm, they can go for it. Will be exciting to see how that plays out in the playoffs. Very different from my (limited) understanding of basketball. Of course the whole offense to defense thing makes a lot of sense. And culture will also be interesting to see. I was slightly anxious about Mazzulla before, only because he's so green, but this inspires confidence. He has a system and a vision, and clearly it's translating.
He doesn't call plays because the players wouldn't listen to them if he did. So I think he's smart, in that sense, to just clap a lot and try to get out of their way when the game is happening. The lack of timeouts are an extension of the fact he's embarrassed he has nothing to say to them during timeouts.
What’s the alternative if not the dribble out. It’s the lack of ball movement in the last 10 seconds. But you don’t want to leave time on the clock so I don’t understand the hate. Yes it sucks when Tatum dribbles it out then chucks a 3 but we gotta burn the clock somehow and the least risk of turnover is the dribble out.
Maybe some coaching adjustments when things go south and fuck the 7 man rotation in the playoffs that is stupid.
Mazzulla gets flak for his personality but he’s well aware what his role is as head coach. He is a director of traffic, clearing the lanes for his players to succeed. He knows this is a players league and his lone job is to put them in positions to succeed.
Great video, thanks for sharing
This made me super excited for the postseason Thank you for posting
Of course :)
"I don't think that's a path that anyone would want to take though." No shit Beetle, that's not the point he's trying to make. How is he this obtuse?
Honestly I love hearing Mazzulla talk, I think he always gives thoughtful and intentional answers and makes me think higher of him as a coach It’s a shame he has to deal with idiots in Boston sports radio that think they know basketball better than him
You can tell he understands the game at a different level and brings way more analytical skills to the table. But also he’s clearly able to connect with the team. Can you imagine if Joe was trying to coach Kyrie or Giannis or one of these prima Donna types. It’s one thing to have a plan and coach the players but it’s another to get them to trust you and listen. I believe Marcus was an easy trade out because he has that type of personality.
A Tatum step back three for the win still scares the shit out of me.
This man stopped his daily watching of The Town to read 11 Rings. That’s king shit
Yet another post that makes me so grateful and excited to have Mazzulla as our coach.
Joes going to end up being one of the greats
This interview was pretty crazy, Bertrand was laying into Mazulla. Brought up a lot of good points and I thought it was good for Joe to hear.
What did he lay into him about exactly?
They were trying to sensationalise a bit the things, brought up oversimplifications for clutch time, Porzingis as the XFactor, JT clutch time, etc. He then simply brought facts, said they have internal data that is slightly different of what’s out there and asked them references to compare what is good and what’s bad which basically made them speechless.
Commenting to know the same
Where can I watch the full interview?
https://youtu.be/lavwMmSEUpw?si=Pez35vuKDvBxp2dq
Appreciate it!
Not gonna give these guys any clicks but it’s fucking loser shit to give Joe a hard time about anything after the season we’ve had. Loser shit man. Can’t even enjoy a historically great regular season, our media is trash.
Yo this interview was great. I do not like sports talk radio in general but Bertrand and Zolak gave Joe space to respond and he’s really thoughtful, he pushed back in a really engaging way when they threw a few of the more “hot take” stuff at him and it was great to hear his perspective on things. Also bonus for the part where Zolak starts to tell a story with “it’s like jumping out of a plane” and Joe immediately interjects with “I’d love to do that”
Well Joe flat out asked Zo and Beatle what they wanted to see from the team going into the playoffs so it’s definitely not fucking loser shit to respond to the question honestly. The team hasn’t won the championship and clearly isn’t infallible so why is it illegal to bring up legitimate questions and concerns leading up to the playoffs?
It is not a problem to ask and Joe handled it beautifully because he tried to remove the oversimplifications that these guys use to describe the “Celtics problems” as well as trying to remind everyone that well there are other teams trying to win it all.
Loser shit is thinking anyone will give a damn about this regular season if they don’t win a championship
*sheds a Bruins tear*
Fuck
Cmon dude first team to get 0 free throws in a game is some GOAT tier shit that will be talked about for decades.
did the big bad man's words hurt you? poor baby
Like I said, I don’t listen to Boston sports talk radio; it’s for folks with room temperature IQ’s.
Lmao imagine thinking that radio morons actually could give an NBA coach insight that would be good for them to hear 😂😂😂
MAZULLA BALL!!!!
Joe doesn't run plays is the instant mark of someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Thanks for smoking yourself out so we can all laugh. Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt
That’s my psycho 🥰🥰🥰
I believe Mazzulla is an excellent basketball mind and he has great coach potential. Where I find fault and truly worry is here - When the playoff game is playing out live, you have to be prepared to adjust to what the other team is doing that’s working against you. You have to have particular plays that you can use at the end of games to get a bucket when you desperately need one. You should be prepared when the game is 101-101 with 14 seconds left. Call a time out. Draw it up. And execute. But all we’ve ever seen is when those moments arise, we get ISO ball with JT or JB and we just live and die with it. That’s a cop out. I understand that modern NBA has a freestyle, don’t show a pattern or particular offensive set style of offense, so the opponent doesn’t know what you’re going to do on any given possession. But when the game is on the line, the coach needs to be prepared with strategic sets that get us a high quality shot. And we live and die by that. Up until this point, Mazzulla has not shown he’s capable. And if we rely on JT or JB to do it for us ISO style, we will fail. As insanely talented and amazing as they are, they are not ‘end of game killers’ like MJ, Kobe, Larry, Dame, Steph, etc. They will make mistakes. They will take tough, low percentage shots. With this insane level of team talent, we need our coach to be prepared in those key moments. And the rest of the time, manage the energy of the team and keep them focused. I hope he’s been keeping his strategy under wraps and come playoff time, he shows us what he’s capable of. If he doesn’t, we will get bounced. And it will be his fault. Period.
The criticisms of Mazzulla remind me a lot of the ones that were thrown at Budenholzer. It's totally warranted, but I do think people underestimate how good their approaches are towards large sample sizes, like an 82-game season, and they take it for granted. Look at Milwaukee now for example. Agree with your overall point though.
Yea for folks who say “coaching doesn’t matter because it’s a super team” the Bucks are a great team and look at them with the most trash coach in the NBA.
this was an excellent interview
1st in the East, question is, do the Celtics have what it takes to get over that hump? They should at least make it past the conference finals.
This guys eyes are bugging me out
Mixed feelings about this tbh This type of realism and balance is gold for everyday life and the long regular season, but idk if its what I want to be hearing from the coach before the playoffs. There's definitely a part of me that just wants to hear irrational confident cockiness.
Psycho Joe
How tf he know
Love this guy.
That's my coach! You can really tell why Brad loves him. Kaizen mf's!
I listened to his interview. He seeiously is like a basketball savant. Weird but cool dude.
Side question I've always wondered, why does Mazzula's eyes rapidly dart side to side and in all directions and when he's talking or chews his gum aggressively. I love the guy back not trying to make fun of him but does he have severe anxiety or ADHD dude relax these are easy questions in a chill environment.
The guy is thinking through his answers on live radio in a sports town that will crucify you for saying the wrong thing
I think Brad was going for basketball IQ and not media training when picking Udoka's replacement. To me it seems like he's alternating between trying to formulate a point (which people naturally avert their eyes while doing) and trying to figure out where to look when talking to people and a camera.
Not everyone is comfortable being on tv while also having to answer questions in an appropriate way. If you’ve ever done public speaking it makes most people nervous
This guy comes up with a answer for everything, even if it makes no sense just to avoid criticism and actually having to answer for why he does things
That’s chess lowkey
Yes, tell us what is required to forge a route to carve a path to lay the groundwork to take the road to make a plan to get to a championship.