Joe Mazzulla Articles - Page 6

The NBA is a star-driven league, so it is only natural that the stars drive the narratives of the 2024 Finals. Focus is overwhelmingly on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. But the game plan cannot be simplified to merely stopping these offensive […]

Before the 2024 NBA Playoffs started, most people thought the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics was themselves. Their balance and experience deservedly earned them the status as the clear championship favorites. The Dallas Mavericks have changed fans’ perception a bit, however. A Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving-led backcourt, solid defense and exquisite chemistry now […]

Pitting people against one another seems to be a national pastime in America, and it’s no different in sports. Take Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who’ve been teammates for seven years but are constantly accused of disliking one another. After Brown hoisted the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy last Monday, talking heads […]

The Celtics are set to tangle with the Western Conference Champion Denver Nuggets starting Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. in Beantown. Before the two teams battle it out on the hardwood, Coach Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics felt the need to clear the air on a Kyrie Irving question that has stuck out in […]

The Boston Celtics’ long, arduous comeback in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals was finally complete when Jrue Holiday cut off Andrew Nembhard’s drive in the open floor and ripped his dribble with three seconds remaining, preventing the Indiana Pacers from pulling out a win just before the final buzzer. Holiday calmly walked to […]

Before the Boston Celtics look to go up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, their latest injury report features some integral players to their lineup. Joining the likes of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet is Celtics star Jrue Holiday, who has had a solid series so far against the Pacers. According […]

The Boston Celtics knocked off the Indiana Pacers in Game Two and now the Celtics’ victory seems like a formality. Unless the Pacers can do something to stop the bleeding, it appears as if Joe Mazzulla’s crew is on its way back to the NBA Finals and Jaylen Brown is a big reason why after […]

Jaylen Brown is the main man for the Boston Celtics in this series against the Indiana Pacers. He still has a great supporting cast with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Jayson Tatum but his offensive skill sets are just on another level in the penultimate round of the NBA Playoffs. There is no one who […]

The Boston Celtics pulled the rug from under the Indiana Pacers to win Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in overtime, but Bill Simmons said this was no thanks to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. Simmons opined on The Bill Simmons Podcast (skip to 21:33) on how Mazzulla has not made the right […]

Last week, the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a home win vs the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. While it should be noted that the Cavaliers were playing without several key pieces including Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, the Celtics were still likely going to […]

BOSTON, MA — Sacrifice has been a key component of the 2023-24 Boston Celtics.  Head coach Joe Mazzulla recognized that after his squad prevailed 113-98 over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Following the Wednesday night win, which sent the Celtics to its fourth Eastern Conference Finals in five seasons, […]

Boston Celtics veteran big man Al Horford is 37 years old but sometimes, he plays like he’s 10 years younger. It doesn’t happen often, but it did in a very timely manner Wednesday night, as he produced a tremendous performance to help the Celtics finally discard the stubborn Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of […]

Going deep into the NBA Playoffs has its own downsides. With most teams already out of contention for the Larry O’Brien trophy, their primary goal shifts into re-tooling for the next season. The Los Angeles Lakers are doing exactly this and one of their frontrunners is Sam Cassell. There have been rumors going around about […]

If there was one concern for the Boston Celtics entering their matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was their length. Coach Joe Mazzulla has worked around this flaw and some key absences from the Cavs helped. Now, the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led squad is one game away from reaching yet another Eastern Conference Finals […]

The dominoes are falling into place for the Boston Celtics in their quest to bring home banner number 18. In the first round, the Celtics faced a depleted Miami Heat team that was without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. Now, the Cleveland Cavaliers squad that they are up against is far from its best, as […]

Being a head coach in the NBA isn’t easy—just ask ex-Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel. Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla understands this reality and wants to prepare assistant Charles Lee, who was just made the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. When Mazzulla was asked for his feelings on Lee’s new four-year deal with […]

Whether or not Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will play in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs remains to be seen. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Latvian big man is working hard to return to the floor. During Boston’s Game 4 win over the Miami Heat last Monday, Porzingis suffered […]

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have had some fierce battles in past postseasons, but Game 5 on Wednesday night wasn’t one of them. The C’s walloped Miami 118-84 and clinched a 4-1 series win in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. This beatdown went down at TD Garden, where the Celtics had […]

The Boston Celtics were set to take on the Miami Heat at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday night with a possible trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals on the line. The Celtics led the Heat 3-1 heading into their Game Five matchup in Beantown and the health status of Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis became […]

The Boston Celtics have fallen victim to numerous unlikely heroes while playing the Miami Heat in the postseason. However, during a 102-88 victory on Monday night, the C’s gave the Heat a taste of their own medicine thanks to a career-best performance from guard Derrick White. Boston grabbed a 3-1 series lead after White tallied […]

Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, it was all about the stars of the Boston Celtics and their new additions. And rightfully so, as the Green Team’s starting five was one of the best in the league and boasts four past and present All-Stars. However, bench play has also been crucial to the Celtics’ success, […]

No matter who’s on either side for a series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, it’s going to be a battle. Game 2 of the first-round postseason matchup between the Eastern Conference rivals proved that, as an undermanned Heat squad upset the C’s 111-101 on Wednesday night. Despite the absence of star Jimmy Butler, […]

Well, that’s a result that no one really expected to happen, huh. Game 2 of the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat series went in favor of the visiting team. How did they win? Well, a white-hot shooting day for Caleb Martin and the Heat’s sharpshooters spelled doom for the first-seeded Celtics. Boston just couldn’t keep up with […]

The Boston Celtics aren’t some regular-season paper tiger. Any team in NBA history would struggle to emerge victorious when its opponent shoots 53.5% from beyond the arc en route to 23 made triples. Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier both remained sidelined, but the shorthanded Miami Heat’s stunning 111-101 victory over Boston in Game 2 should […]

For what feels like the millionth time, the Boston Celtics are tied in a playoff series with the Miami Heat. On Wednesday night at TD Garden, Miami torched the C’s from beyond the arc en route to a 111-101 upset win in Game 2. The C’s took Game 1 by tying a franchise record for […]

The Miami Heat have accomplished what they set out to do in the first two games. All Coach Erik Spoelstra and the Bam Adebayo-led squad had to do was steal one game from the Boston Celtics. They bounced back fairly well after getting blown out in Game 1. A lot of it had to do […]

The Boston Celtics dominated the league this regular season, yet they’ll have no NBA accolades to show for it. The NBA announced the finalists for its most prestigious awards on Sunday night and no Celtic could be found on any of the shortlists. Complete list of 2023-24 awards finalists pic.twitter.com/ao7xOdZpwg — NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April […]

The Boston Celtics began their playoff journey for Banner No. 18 with a bang on Sunday night, as they beat the Miami Heat 114-94 in Game 1 of their first-round series. From the initial tipoff, the C’s looked ready to go. They raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and never trailed […]

The 2023-24 Boston Celtics experienced a huge shakeup before the regular season started, with new faces coming in and franchise cornerstones getting shipped out. Yet, despite all the turnover, the Celtics developed a strong identity over the course of 82 games. On Sunday afternoon, Boston closed out the regular season the same way it started […]

The Boston Celtics have steamrolled the opposition for most of the 2023-24 season. Thus, seeing them play like a mortal basketball team is a jolt to the senses. On Thursday night, the Celtics lost their second game in a row for just the fourth time this season, suffering a 118-109 defeat to division rival New […]

Okay, the Boston Celtics are just messing around now. In their game against the Sacramento Kings, Boston dominated the first three quarters. They went into the fourth quarter up 84-72, with them holding a lead as big as 25 at one point. Sensing an opportunity to get some rest, Joe Mazzulla elected to bench his […]

The Boston Celtics are scheduled to take on the Sacramento Kings on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and now the health status of two of their best players, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, is coming to light in a news update shared via a reporter on Twitter. The update was shared on an afternoon when the […]

The Boston Celtics have dominated throughout the 2023-24 regular season, and the numbers prove it. After destroying the Oklahoma City Thunder 135-100 on Wednesday night, the C’s earned their 16th win by 25 points or more. That was enough for the most 25-point wins in a single season in NBA history, according to NBC Sports […]

The Boston Celtics are steamrolling their way through the Eastern Conference en route to a big season. The Celtics currently rest at first place in the East and reinforced their dominance on Wednesday night with a 135-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, showing the power of veteran leadership against the Western Conference upstarts. The […]

The Boston Celtics suffered two brutal defeats to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday and Thursday, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t learn anything. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was experimenting in those losses and trying out new things ahead of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. On Monday, the C’s blew a massive 30-point lead and ended […]

Jayson Tatum had the chance to give the Boston Celtics to buzzer-beating victory over the Atlanta Hawks, but his off-balance, heavily contested three-pointer landed well off the mark, sending the game to overtime. Boston needed just one stop to pull off a thrilling road victory in the extra session, siccing Jrue Holiday on Dejounte Murray—who […]

The Boston Celtics have been the team to beat throughout the regular season. But like any team, they’re not perfect. In fact, they Celtics have looked especially vulnerable in recent days. The Atlanta Hawks erased a 30-point deficit to defeat the C’s 120-118 on Monday and then handed Boston another close loss on Thursday, this […]

The Boston Celtics had won 20 of 22 and brought a nine-game winning streak into their matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. That streak certainly seemed safe when Boston’s Al Horford hit a 3-pointer late in the second quarter to give the Celtics and 68-38 lead. But the Hawks, clinging to the final […]

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is all about his players. He’ll coach hard in garbage time for the sake of his bench guys and take the floor himself to defend opponents after the whistle. Unfortunately, not everyone in the NBA seems to be a fan of his approach. On Wednesday, Mazzulla revealed that he’s […]