How Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla made history with his NBA Finals appearance originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics are heading to the 2024 NBA Finals after an impressive Indiana Pacers sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It’s the team’s second appearance in the finals in the last three years, but it’s the first with Joe Mazzulla as head coach.
Mazzulla is not only the youngest coach in the league at age 35, but also the youngest coach to take his team to the NBA Finals since Celtics legend Bill Russell in 1969.
Russell was 35 years old during the 1968-69 season. It was the final year of his Hall of Fame career and second as a player/head coach. Russell’s Celtics defeated the favored Los Angeles Lakers in the 1969 NBA Finals to win their 11th title in a 13-year span, culminating in a dramatic Game 7 victory on the road.
Mazzulla is also in his second year as head coach of the Celtics. He led the Celtics to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season. This year, the C’s finished with the league’s best record (64-18) during the regular season before dominating the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 12-2 record en route to the finals.
The Celtics will have a seven-game winning streak going into the Finals, where they will face either the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks hold a 3-0 lead over the Wolves in the Western Conference Finals entering Game 4 on Tuesday night.
