The second-seeded Boston Celtics have arguably been one of the best teams in the NBA this season. Given their 50-24 record, their fifth consecutive season with at least 50 wins, it is apparent that head coach Joe Mazzulla has been successful in his role.
Despite their setbacks before the campaign began, the Celtics have shown tremendous resilience in overcoming these challenges. Although this achievement has positioned Joe Mazzulla as a frontrunner to win the Coach of the Year award, the Celtics head coach doesn’t agree.
“I think it’s a stupid award,” Mazzulla shared with the media. “You shouldn’t have it. It’s more about the players and the work the staff puts in. It’s that simple. I really don’t want to be asked or talked about it again. It’s just that dumb. The players play. It’s about them. The staff works their a– off. I’m grateful to have them.”
The COTY award is a prestigious end-of-season honor that recognizes the coach’s role in guiding and leading an NBA team on a successful regular-season campaign. Historically, this award has been given to the coaches of the team with the best record, but there have been several exceptions.
On that note, what Joe Mazzulla has accomplished with the Boston Celtics this season has been nothing short of inspiring. Still, his reaction to being a likely candidate to win the award reflects not only his own mindset, but also his humility and appreciation for the work his coaching staff puts in.
Joe Mazzulla Emphasizes The Celtics’ Culture
Joe Mazzulla’s reaction to the COTY award may seem excessive to many. However, it very accurately represents Mazzulla’s views on the culture of the Celtics’ franchise.
The Celtics’ head coach emphasized this during his pre-game media availability before the game against the Atlanta Hawks. While speaking with CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell, he stated:
“It’s people. When you take a look at the people that we have, it starts there, the alignment within the organization, top to bottom, ownership, the alignment, and the empowerment of the front office, the players. It starts with the players, and really, the best players.”
“The best players, the type of character that they have, the competitive character that they have, and then go down to the staff, and go down to the employees, the travel party, the people in the building, people that help us at the Garden.”
“It’s very simple, it’s synonymous for people, and everybody has to have an understanding that what they do matters and they can impact winning,” Mazzulla concluded.
From his statement, it is apparent that the Celtics’ head coach is tuned into the minute details that make a winning franchise. In his pursuit to create a culture of winning, Mazzulla ensures that every individual’s effort is acknowledged as a vital part of the process.
With one of the best win-loss records among coaches over the last five years, it can be argued that Joe Mazzulla has succeeded in instilling this culture in the team. Given that the Celtics have also gone from being a middling team at the beginning of the season to a genuine title contender at this stage, the players on the roster have also resonated with his philosophy.
