Boston Celtics
Chad Finn is curious whether or not 57-4 can be a breakthrough for Joe Mazzulla when it comes to how he views those that cowl him — no less than those that love basketball.
Two factors — or two fewer than the Celtics media scored, for those who want to body it that method — relating to the much-discussed 57-4 throttling Joe Mazzulla and his coaches placed on those who cowl the group on the Auerbach Heart on Tuesday afternoon:
⋅ The Celtics media positively wants extra wings and no less than two ballhandlers. Fast, somebody give Rajon Rondo a weekly column in case there’s a rematch.
⋅ That is the vital level: As common, the social-media click-chasers who have been fast to presume intent and posted gleefully about Mazzulla attempting to humiliate the reporters missed all context and perspective.
Enable me to elaborate, since I used to be there as a sideline spectator. (DNP — Achilles, hip, knee, historic)
Mazzulla loved springing it on the reporters throughout his availability following apply that the scheduled media recreation, as a part of selling Jr. Celtics Academy, would really be media vs. coaches.
And surely he savored unleashing 94 toes of hell on the media, with Mazzulla, God Shammgod Jr., and former Celtics guard Phil Pressey fronting a full-court press.
To name it relentless could be an understatement. And also you by no means notice how lengthy an NBA courtroom is — or how deep that 3-point line is — till you’re standing on one.
The relentlessness may need made for amusing social media posts, however the actual story of the day was the eye-opening realizations, on either side.
The media, if it required one, acquired a first-hand reminder of how arduous basketball is and the way gifted somebody like Celtics assistant Amile Jefferson needs to be simply to get a few pictures within the league — 30 video games over two seasons with the Magic, in his case.
And Mazzulla? I completely consider it was a revelatory day for him. He realized how a lot the individuals who cowl the Celtics love the sport too. It jogged my memory just a little little bit of Jaylen Brown making his method again to the Backyard flooring within the wee hours of the morning after the Celtics won the 2024 title, solely to discover a group of reporters — who had discovered a free basketball amid the confetti-covered scene — getting pictures up on the parquet.
“That is stunning,” Brown stated when he wandered onto the scene.
The camaraderie and determined makes an attempt at competitiveness in a hopeless scenario for the media appeared to hit Mazzulla in an analogous method. After the 12-minute beatdown, he stayed, together with most of his coaches and different staffers (similar to vice chairman of basketball operations and group counsel Mike Zarren) to look at the media pickup recreation that adopted.
And he was concerned, the coach in him taking on. He ran the clock from the scorer’s desk, always hollered directions, got here up with spot-on nicknames on the fly — colleague Khari Thompson was tagged “Kurt Thomas,” the longtime NBA energy ahead — and caught round for a number of minutes afterward to casually chat in regards to the video games.
His guard was method down, and it jogged my memory of the model of Mazzulla we see on the finish of the distinctive fifth episode of “All-In,” the Celtics’ docuseries from 2024 during which Mazzulla admits, with a nudge from his spouse Camai, that he was sure his team was going to win the title at the Garden, both in 5 video games or seven.
Maybe all of this was a stroke of brilliance by the Celtics communications groups. In spite of everything, Mazzulla had one in all his extra contentious press conferences after Sunday night’s preseason game, getting indignant with questions in regards to the 3-pointer-heavy strategy on offense — Mazzulla, agitated, defined in wealthy element that what he seems for is two-on-ones, and that can be remembered now — and rebounding.
It wasn’t his finest look, and he appeared to comprehend it the following day, chatting good-naturedly and at size with reporters — together with the one who requested the query in regards to the offense, Hardwood Houdini’s Jack Simone — on Monday. Then got here the good vibes of Tuesday, regardless of the scoreboard.
I’m curious whether or not it is a breakthrough for Mazzulla when it comes to how he interacts with the media and views the job — or no less than the basketball-loving folks doing the job, anyway.
It positive appeared that method Wednesday, when he addressed reporters earlier than the preseason matchup with the Raptors. His common podium had been eliminated, per his request.
“One of many causes there’s no stage up right here at this time is as a result of I felt like after yesterday all of us had our guard down, and we have been all within the aggressive area collectively,” Mazzulla stated. “And that meant loads to decrease everybody’s guard and [give each other a hard time] and do all that stuff. So, it was cool to see all people in a pure setting.
“And, typically, we’re coming from a aggressive area, and also you’re not in a aggressive area — you’re simply doing all of your job. And that’s the place issues get misinterpreted. However for all of us to be in the identical area, I believe that claims loads.”
Mazzulla, who apparently has the spirit of a rec-league hooper, added that the one method Tuesday may have been higher is that if everybody had gone out for a beer afterward.
I’m positive he knew that such phrases sound as interesting to sportswriters as they’d to Norm from “Cheers,” however he appeared to genuinely imply it.
Possibly he nonetheless will … no less than till the following time he’s requested why his group shoots so many 3s.
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