Joe Mazzulla, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, recently addressed the idea of pressure from the Boston media, explaining why he remains unfazed by their expectations and criticisms. Mazzulla’s unique perspective on pressure and media scrutiny sheds light on his approach to coaching one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.
“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.”
“You’re contractually obligated to write a 500-word article… They’re just words, you can’t do anything… We don’t have a pressure. If we lose, we’re not losing our life. We’re not surgeons, we’re not in the military, we coach basketball for a living.”
And no one’s putting more pressure and expectations than we are on ourselves. And it’s like we have a responsibility and we have an ownership. And like I ask guys all the time, like, would you rather have someone expect you to lose or win?”
“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?”
Joe Mazzulla was candid about how he views the expectations placed on him, particularly from the Boston media, which is known for being relentless. He explained that the pressure from external sources, like the media or fans, doesn’t hold much weight for him. He sees it as simply words, not actions that can truly affect him or his team.
He elaborated by explaining that media expectations or criticism are just words and nothing more. Mazzulla’s approach is refreshingly straightforward—he doesn’t let outside opinions or words dictate how he operates. He recognizes that in the realm of sports, particularly basketball, the stakes are nowhere near life-and-death situations. In his mind, losing a game or failing to meet expectations isn’t catastrophic, and he emphasizes that the most pressure comes from within the team, not from external voices.
What’s more, Mazzulla doesn’t see the high expectations of winning as something to be burdened by, but rather as a privilege. The expectations of winning are part of the job, and he’s fully embraced that responsibility. In Mazzulla’s eyes, the pressure of high expectations is simply part of being in a position to succeed, and it’s what the team signed up for when they committed to excellence.
When a reporter suggested that words do have power, Mazzulla was quick to counter.
“No, they don’t, if you look at them. Like if you allow words to take your personal power, then yes. So I don’t allow words to take my personal power, and like that’s just important. Like words don’t have, they only have power if you allow them to.”
“And like that’s what I try to teach my kids, is like I don’t give a shit what someone says to you, like did you allow that to have an impact on you? Like he didn’t put his hands on you, he didn’t touch you, he didn’t do anything, he said something to you.”
“Now you have a choice to decide how you’re going to interpret that. So it’s not pressure, there’s nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that’s going to impact my identity and who I am as a person and coach 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that’s it.”
Mazzulla emphasized personal responsibility in interpreting criticism, implying that it’s up to the individual to decide how much impact words will have. He even extends this lesson to his children, teaching them to not let words from others affect them unless they allow it.
For Mazzulla, criticism or praise from the media doesn’t define who he is as a coach or as a person. His mentality resonates with a broader message about self-worth and resilience, which not only helps him deal with the intense scrutiny that comes with being the head coach of the Celtics but also serves as an important lesson to his players. It’s a philosophy of staying grounded and focused on what truly matters: internal standards and the team’s collective goals.
The Boston Celtics are coming off an impressive 2023-24 season, finishing with a dominant 64-18 record and cruising through the playoffs with a 16-3 mark to capture the NBA title. With the majority of their championship-winning roster returning, they are once again considered the favorites to win it all. Mazzulla’s approach of dismissing external pressure and focusing solely on what happens within the team’s walls will undoubtedly serve them well as they aim to defend their title in the upcoming season.
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