Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has become one of the best interviews in the NBA, having another memorable media interaction during the Boston Celtics’ final practice ahead of their season opener on Tuesday. Mazzulla was asked about the pressure of making this version of the Celtics a dynasty, prompting the 36-year-old coach to drop an existential remark about the fleeting nature of life.
“No pressure. We’re all gonna be dead soon, and it really doesn’t matter anymore, so there’s zero pressure.”
“You’re either gonna win or lose. If you win, you will try and forget about it a week later or if you lose, you will try and forget about it a week later. It’s not pressure, it’s an opportunity. We have an opportunity over the next few years, however long we’re together, to carry the organization forward to double down on the tradition and history of what this organization has.”
Mazzulla doesn’t feel pressured by the expectations everyone has of the Celtics, instead inviting the expectations because he would rather have people thinking he is going to win all the time instead of the inverse.
“What else would you expect than someone expecting you to win all the time? I wouldn’t want someone to expect me to lose all the time, that would be debilitating. We have an expectation to win, great character, and great talent, and we just have to work to maximize that while relying on the players to do that.”
The Celtics went 64-18 last season before losing just three games across four Playoff matchups to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. Injuries did play a part in helping the Celtics face a path of minimal resistance to the title, but they were by far the best team in the NBA all season long, carrying forward that success into a dominant Playoff showing.
Joe Mazzulla Got Real On Why He Doesn’t Take Pressure From Boston Media
Everyone tuning into the 2024-25 NBA season is expecting the Celtics to retain their crown after constructing one of the best rosters the NBA has seen in recent years. There’s depth and versatility on that roster led by an innovative coach and a wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who have proven they can carry the franchise.
Mazzulla gave a revealing answer about dismissing the pressure put on him and the Celtics by Boston sports media, with the coach openly saying that he believes the expectations on the franchise should be the norm and that he doesn’t want people to expect him or the team to lose.
“I just don’t look at it as pressure. Because a Boston media member or somebody expecting me to win, like, they don’t have a weapon, they’re not going to come after me if we don’t win. You’re saying words. So like they don’t mean anything, they’re just words. You’re just saying them because you have to say them.”
“Like if you came up to me and be like, man, I really expected you to lose that game, I would be pissed. But it’s like, you come up to me like you should have won that game. It’s like, yeah, that’s, that’s what we signed up for, you know, so I think it’s just the perspective of how you look at it and like the truth of it, you know?”
Inviting pressure is a bold move, but Mazzulla’s coaching has proven that he is not afraid of being bold to motivate his team. The Celtics open their season on opening night against the New York Knicks at home.
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