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When Joe Mazzulla was introduced because the Boston Celtics interim head coach in September, many had no thought who the 34-year-old was. However, I did. Again in 2008, his 13 factors, 11 rebounds, and eight assists efficiency in 31 minutes off the bench despatched my Duke Blue Devils dwelling within the second round of the NCAA Match. Persons are conscious of who Mazzulla is now, as he’ll coach Group Giannis on Sunday on the 2023 NBA All-Star Recreation in Salt Lake Metropolis — making him the third first-year coach since 2000 to take part within the weekend’s large sport.
And to make issues even higher, on Thursday, the Celtics stripped the interim tag from him and formally made him their nineteenth head coach in franchise historical past. “As he has proven, Joe is a really gifted coach and chief,” mentioned Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations. “He has a singular capacity to impress a room round a mission. We’re grateful for the work he has finished to assist get us so far, and excited that he has agreed to steer us into the long run.”
Beast of the East
The Celtics entered the All-Star break in first place within the Japanese Convention with a 42-17 report. At this level final season, underneath former head coach Ime Udoka, Boston was in sixth place at 34-26. They ultimately caught hearth as they blazed their method to the NBA Finals earlier than blowing a 2-1 result in the Golden State Warriors who ultimately gained all of it in six video games.
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To completely perceive why it’s so shocking that Mazzulla is doing so nicely in his first season, you must return to what was happening when it was introduced that he was taking on — pandemonium. When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka is dealing with potential disciplinary motion – together with a major suspension – for an unspecified violation of organizational pointers. Discussions are ongoing inside the Celtics on a last willpower” in September, no one knew what that was as we had extra questions than solutions. What occurred subsequent was a public relations catastrophe by the Celtics that will probably be taught in faculties for years, as rumors ran rampant about who Udoka might have been concerned with whereas the blowback on his household turned a sports activities story right into a popular culture cleaning soap opera.
“It’s loads happening,” Jaylen Brown mentioned on the time.
“Actually nobody is aware of something proper now,” added Marcus Good.
Udoka was ultimately suspended for your entire 2022-23 season for violating workforce coverage in an alleged “consensual relationship” with a workforce staffer. Nobody knew what the Celtics had been going to do with him after this season till Thursday’s announcement meant that Udoka was formally finished in Boston.
Issues are going nicely now in Boston underneath Mazzulla, as they’ve a shot to return to the NBA Finals and enter the weekend with two All-Stars on their roster, in comparison with one final season, in Jayson Tatum and Brown.
“It’s among the best locker rooms I’ve been round,” mentioned Blake Griffin, who joined the workforce this season and is lower than a 12 months youthful than Mazzulla. “We had some actually shut groups in L.A., however this workforce is correct there if no more. All people is available in with a objective on daily basis, everyone works actually, actually arduous. All people genuinely cares and enjoys seeing one other particular person succeed. We’ve managed to maintain that all through this season, all through highs and lows.”
A number of months in the past, nobody knew what the Celtics would appear to be as we discovered that the chief of the locker room was doing inappropriate issues behind closed doorways. A number of months later, Joe Mazzulla is hoping to go away Utah with a win on Sunday and a return journey to the NBA Finals in June.
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