What a week for the Boston Celtics!
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown exorcized seven years of demons Monday night by wrapping up one of the best seasons in the team’s storied history and leading the Celtics to their 18th NBA championship.
Al Horford, 38, finally got his title in his 17th season and second tour with the Celtics. Brad Stevens received deserved praise for assembling most of the roster that finally got it done.
And Johnston Joe Mazzulla earned kudos for directing that crew with aplomb, belying his tender age — he is 35, a kid in the NBA coaching world.
Friday morning, all of them — and dozens of others in the Celtics family — will board Boston’s famous duck boats for the traditional NBA Championship celebratory parade from TD Garden on Causeway Street to the Hynes Convention Center of Boylston Street. `
Officials anticipate a million spectators will ignore the weather and shower their heroes with non-stop cheers and unabashed affection.
A Hub Hoops Holiday!
Mazzulla could be front and center for this love fest, but that’s not his style.
“I’m really excited to see how the people support the players,” he said Thursday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand. “It’s going to be really fun to watch them enjoy that.”
Going back to his childhood in Johnston, Mazzulla has always been about the team. He went to Bishop Hendricken High School, led the Hawks to three state basketball championships, was All-State three times and the Rhode Island Gatorade player of the year twice.
Next stop was West Virginia, where he played on teams that won the NIT and reached the NCAA Final Four. Then Glenville State and Fairmont State in West Virginia, where he began to hone his coaching skills. Then a year with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA’s G League. Back to Fairmont State as head coach. After two years, the jump to the NBA as a back row assistant with the Celtics, where for three seasons he watched and learned the dynamics of the big time.
And then just before the start of the 2022-23 season, his shocking promotion to head coach of the Boston Celtics, first on an interim basis and then permanently.
Throughout that odyssey Mazzulla remained close with his Hendricken coach, Jamal Gomes, their relationship “close and tight.” I spoke to Gomes shortly after Mazzulla got the top job. He expressed confidence in Mazzulla’s ability to follow in the footsteps of Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Fitch, K.C. Jones and Doc Rivers, respected coaches who guided the Celtics to their 17 championships.
“He understands what the challenges will be,” Gomes told me.
What challenges they were.
Taking over for Ime Udoka, who was suspended and then terminated for inappropriate behavior with a female staffer. Keeping the trust of the players. Earning the respect of a media mob that at times was brutal in its treatment of him. Driving around last season, I lost count of the times talk jocks and their acolytes wanted Mazzulla fired because he couldn’t coach, couldn’t manage a game, didn’t know when to call timeouts, insisted on a three-point-shot offense even when the shots were clanging off the rim.
Last season, when the Celtics lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to Miami on the TD Garden floor, some people probably blamed Mazzulla even though Tatum sprained his ankle early in the first quarter and struggled the rest of the game.
To his credit, Mazzulla remained cool, comfortable with his decisions. “He has such a graceful, calm demeanor,” Gomes told me then.
The Celtics’ success this season demonstrated that Mazzulla knows what he is doing. He managed the roster perfectly, encouraging Tatum and Brown to rely on and play off each other. He did not overwork the injury-prone Kristaps Prozingis, finessing his minutes with those of Horford, the experienced big man. He capitalized on the explosiveness of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. He made the right moves at the right time.
The results? A 64-18 record, fourth best in Celtics history after 1973 (68-14), 1986 (67-15) and 2008 (66-16). And a postseason record of 16-3. No series went more than five games.
“We won because we have great players, great talent,” Mazzulla said Thursday. He added that 10-12 plays can make a difference over the course of a season.
I spoke with Jamal Gomes again Thursday about Mazzulla. He raved about Joe’s growth as a coach.
“Joe is an extremely intelligent man. Even back in high school he was always the smartest player on the court. He is a student of the game. He sizes things up quickly,” Gomes said.
“I went to a practice during training camp in early October. He was so comfortable. He had some of his own people around him. He was so much more confident in who he was, and he had command of that team early on.
“I saw tremendous maturity in the way he coached this year. He made adjustments. He found the right offense, different from last year. He was more efficient with his timeouts. . . . The Celtics played together. They put their egos aside. That just doesn’t happen.”
Mazzulla is a devout Catholic, and his faith is important to him. Reminded that White said Joe changed his life, Mazzulla replied: “That means more than the championship itself.”
Tatum and Brown became the focal point of national media as the playoffs progressed and Brown assumed command more than usual. Mazzulla tired of answering questions about them.
“Those two guys carry the burden of the organization more than anybody,” he said. “They are two of the highest character superstars.”
Asked how this championship has changed him, Mazzulla replied that “the goal is not to change” and that winning “doesn’t make me better than other people.”
He said the goal is: “Focus on the things we can replicate. Toughness. Mindset. Gratitude.”
A moment later, he added this gem: “Going after greatness is a thing I am ready for. . . . Whatever we have to do to win, we’re going to do it.”
Mazzulla plans to take about a month off after he has knee surgery in the next week or two. Of course, he won’t be completely off. He will use some of that time to start preparing for the 2024-25 season.
He also plans a visit to Rhode Island, he told Zolak and Bertrand.
“I’ll make it down there,” he said. “I’ve had so much support from Rhode Island. The people in Johnston have been great to me.”
