‘He’s a nut job:’ Mazzulla’s unique tactics are paying off for Celtics originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
To say Joe Mazzulla is intense would be an understatement. But there’s a method to his madness, and it’s part of the reason the Boston Celtics are one win away from raising the 18th flag.
The Celtics held a 21-point lead over the Dallas Mavericks early in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Wednesday night when the Mavs went on a 22-2 run to close the gap to one point. . In recent years, the C’s may have let the wheels fall off completely. Mazzulla’s club conceded, however, outscoring Dallas by six points in the final three and a half minutes to get a 106-99 away win and take a 3-0 series lead.
Boston undoubtedly benefited from superstar Luka Doncic’s foul with 4:12 left in the quarter. But the Celtics also benefited from the message Mazzulla had given them all season: The more you succeed, the harder it is to win.
“If you ever get into a fight with someone and you think you’re about to beat them, you usually get punched,” Mazzulla told reporters before Game 3, as if foreshadowing. “The closer you are to beating them, the closer you are to losing.”
To prepare his team for these difficult times, Mazzulla made an effort to celebrate adversity. When the Celtics blew a 19-point lead in a six-minute span against the Sacramento Kings in early April, for example, Mazzulla described the fourth quarter like “fun” and “awesome” and “a perfect environment to perform in.”
So Boston players knew what to expect from their coach on Wednesday night when things got dicey in Game 3.
“I mean, he’s probably so happy it happened like this, so he can continue to tell us this,” Celtics guard Derrick White said after the game, referring to Mazzulla: “The closer you are to win, the closer you are to losing.” Mentality.
“But he stays consistent. He just makes the right decisions and we trust him completely.”
But it was Mazzulla in truth Enjoying watching your team blow a 21-point lead in an NBA Finals game?
“He’s a nutjob, so probably,” White responded with a laugh.
“He’s a sicko, then probably.”
Derrick White on whether or not Joe Mazzulla took the chance to come back from a blown lead pic.twitter.com/7yBEcRdvDT
– Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 13, 2024
As if to make his teammate’s point, Celtics star Jayson Tatum explained in his postgame press conference how Mazzulla shows video clips of the team of MMA fighters being choked to drive home the point of avoiding the complacency.
“Joe does a great job showing us clips and things from different sports,” Tatum said. “He’s a huge UFC fan and he shows us people’s fights that – I don’t know the UFC terminology – put them in a chokehold and shit, like they’re about to tap out. the guy or woman who is winning relaxes because they feel like they are about to win, and then you give life to the other person.
“I’m just trying to translate that to the game of basketball: the closer you are to victory, the closer they are to survival. Basically, I’m just trying to remind us as a group that we still have a long way to go. We still have to play the way right. We still have to win. They won’t give up and we must expect the best from them from now on.”
We’re not sure how many other NBA coaches use UFC fights as motivation or refusing to sit with your back to the door at your local Dunkin’, but probably not many. However, Mazzulla’s unique coaching style is paying off: the Celtics are a perfect 6-0 in “clutch” situations this postseason (five-point scoring in the final five minutes) and have thrived in the most challenging moments. .
“I think Joe is a basketball genius,” White added. “So whatever he says, I’ll try to do it to the best of my ability.”
