Boston Celtics Hire Joe Mazzulla

By: Steve Atkinson

The Boston Celtics are at the halfway point of the season and have the best record in the NBA AT 42-17. They have also officially removed the interim tag on Joe Mazzulla and made him the head coach of the franchise. Mazzulla, who has Rhode Island ties will become the 19 head coach in franchise history for the Celtics. That also means that Ime Udoka is officially not affiliated with the team following his season long suspension. Question is what will Mazzulla do to improve the team going forward?

Celtics Might Have A Winner In Joe Mazzulla

Mazzulla knows what a winning basketball team looks like. I know high school is a different game but when he was on Bishop Hendricken, they won four straight State Championships. Now, having two superstars with the Celtics in Tatum and Brown he can just be a motivational force for them. The Celtics really don’t need a lot of coaching because of how dominant they are on a nightly basis. This past week they took the Bucks to overtime and most of the bench played the entire game. Yes, Mazzulla brings the experience he has with him playing the sport for a long time but he also has great players.

The Celtics Goal Is To Win Championships

The goal is to win a championship not to finish second like last season. Can Mazzulla get them over that hump? I think he can and so do the Celtics. Tatum and Mazzulla are close, and Tatum wanted Mazzulla to be the head coach of the team. Brad Stevens loves that Mazzulla is leading the team heading into the second half of the season and beyond.

“I think that they certainly have earned that and Joe specifically has just done a great job. I mean, he really has. He’s always prepared. He’s really driven. He does all of the work necessary, but he also has a pulse on when the work needs to be put aside for the people. And so we were not only really comfortable with it, we’re also really excited about him leading us now and into the future.”

Mazzulla is excited to continue to coach the Celtics and lead them to a championship.

“Even though it was an interim position, I knew exactly where I stood,” Mazzulla said. “I knew I was gonna get a fair shake, I knew I was gonna get an opportunity. I knew that I was just going to be able to do it the way that I thought to give us the best chance to be successful without any pressure because of that. And so because of their standards and their communication and how they treated me as an assistant, I just felt comfortable regardless.

“I’m just grateful,” Mazzulla added. “Grateful that not many people get an opportunity to experience this — especially in the manner that I am with the players that I’m able to coach and the people I’m able to work for, and it’s for the Celtics. It is a dream come true.”

I don’t think the stage is too big for Mazzulla. He has done a great job so far and is short with the media after games. He can relate with the players and doesn’t call them out in the media. If he has a problem, he handles it behind closed doors. This weekend he’s coaching at the All-Star Game another good reason to make him the head coach. With Tatum there maybe he does some recruiting to get players to join the Celtics in free agency. I think the Celtics are very close to a championship almost like they can smell it. I think Mazzulla can get them over that hump.