Everyone is guilty of being too hard on themselves sometimes. In sports, self-critique can be crucial. There is always someone elevating to the next level, forcing others to keep pace with them. Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave himself some tough love after his press conference Friday ahead of a Game 3 matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Unbeknownst to him, however, it was caught on a hot mic as he was leaving his area.

“I'm the worst coach ever,” Mazzulla said, via Bobby Manning of Celtics on CLS.

Self-confidence should be high for the postseason, especially when it concerns a first-year head coach trying to navigate his team past a tough Sixers squad. Fortunately, it was nothing like that. Just some guilt on Mazzulla's part over a Marcus Smart situation, which he later clarified.

“I had just been informed that [Marcus] Smart won the NBA Hustle Award, and we went through an entire film session and I didn’t show my appreciation for him,” he said, per ClutchPoints' Sam DiGiovanni.

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Encouraging players, particularly after winning a hard-earned accolade, is something a head coach has to keep in mind, but the nine-year guard is likely too locked-in for the big game to be sulking. One of the reasons he won the Hustle Award for a record three times (2019, 22, 23) is because he is among the toughest players in the NBA.

In addition to possessing the key intangibles that earned him the honor, Smart averaged 11.5 points, a career-high 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Mazzulla should let himself off the hook. He is obviously doing something right keeping this already great team near the top. The hustle factor and intensity of the entire group has stayed high much of the year.

Him and Smart hopefully shared a nice embrace and can now properly charge into battle in Philly.