Most NBA coaches have several years to prepare for a head coach position, but not Joe Mazzulla. The Boston Celtics boss had to immediately fill in after Ime Udoka was suspended and while it meant that he could take over a talented squad, it also placed tons of pressure on the young coach.

Under Mazzulla, the C's performed well in the regular season. They finished as the No. 2 seed in a strong Eastern Conference and were set up for a lengthy postseason run. Things didn't play out as Celtics fans hoped though, as the Green Team fell into a 3-0 hole against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. While the C's were able to even the series up, they suffered a disappointing defeat in Game 7 and failed to capture Banner 18 once again.

For most coaches, getting one win away from the NBA Finals is generally a success. Yet, expectations were high for the Celtics, and Mazzulla faced no shortage of criticism for the early playoff exit.

Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck has his back though, as he stuck up for Mazzulla during a recent interview with The Boston Globe.

“If Joe had done a poor job, I would have thought about replacing him, but he did a very good job,” Grousbeck stated. “He took us within one game of the best record in the league and then one game of being in the Finals, as a rookie coach. So I’m comfortable and happy to have Joe as head coach.”

This offseason brought a lot of change for the C's, as they lost forward Grant Williams, point guard Marcus Smart, and other bench players. In spite of the shakeup, the front office stood behind Mazzulla and shrugged off any suggestions of a coaching replacement. They then doubled down by helping Mazzulla bring in his own staff with the addition of Sam Cassell, Amile Jefferson, and others.

Tough decisions are required when building a championship team, yet it's clear that the Celtics think they have their manager in Mazzulla. Whether or not he's the right man for the job remains to be seen, but winning a title seems to be the only way to prove it in Beantown.