“Zero. No Pressure. We’re All Going To Be Dead Soon" - The Quote Machine That Is Joe Mazzulla Is Already In Midseason Form
Mark Blinch. Getty Images.For a head coach of any of the Big 4 sports, having to deal with the Boston Media certainly isn't easy. All you have to do is take a look at what's happening right now with Jerod Mayo
When you run a team in Boston, it certainly comes with lofty expectations, but also every single thing you do or say is going to be put under a microscope and blown out of proportion. If you're losing? There's even more blood in the water. How you navigate the Boston media is just as important as the Xs and Os, and how you handle that dynamic can go a long way in determining how successful your tenure as the coach ends up being.
Nobody understands that more than Joe Mazzulla. For the last two seasons, he certainly has not been shy when it comes to punching back in regards to the Boston Media. They doubted his coaching ability, they doubted his system/approach, they doubted if he was the guy, they spent two years trying to have a "gotcha" moment with him. Despite what we were seeing on the floor, for whatever reason that didn't seem to make a difference.
Well, now he has an NBA title after becoming the youngest head coach in NBA history to reach the top of the mountain. You want success? All you have to do is look at Mazzulla Ball
When you think of what makes Joe (and his team) successful, the talent is one thing. All contending NBA teams need talent. What sets Joe (and his team) apart from the rest though is his mentality. A guy who looked the big bad Boston Media dead in the eyes and stood his ground. A guy who has what might be the healthiest mindset we've ever seen from a coach.
Take what he had to say today about the "pressure" from the Boston Media as the Celts prepare to kick off their title defense tomorrow.
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I mean, what an incredible perspective. The more you listen to Mazzulla the more it becomes clear that not only is he "the guy" but he's clearly "The Chosen One". We already knew he was a quote machine, but there's no denying that his mental approach and how that has translated to his players is as big a contributor to their success as anything else
Between the relationship he has with the players and how they're all willing to die for him, the on-the-court product, the quotes, and his overall mentality, I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that Joe Mazzulla is the perfect coach for this era of Celtics basketball. We didn't know what to expect when we learned Ime Udoka was a horny weirdo, but as it turns out it's the best thing to ever happen to this franchise. Think of how rare this all is. Brad Stevens steps away from coaching and goes upstairs for a role he had never done before and it turned out he's the best GM on the planet. Joe Mazzulla got thrown to the wolves a few days before the season opened in 2022-23, and it turns out he's one of the best coaches in the NBA and easily one of the best coaches in Celtics franchise history.
I'm not exactly a math guy, but the odds of both of those things happening the way they did have to be astronomical.
There has naturally been some concern over a championship hangover or that the Celts might not be as locked in this season after they just achieved the ultimate goal. We see it all the time with defending champs. But what those teams didn't have was Joe Mazzulla. I don't think it's possible for anyone on this team to not be extremely locked in and hungry to go back up the mountain, and that starts and ends with Joe.