Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla explained to reporters why he believes the NBA Coach of the Year award needs changing.
Mazzulla — along with J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons and Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs — is a finalist for the NBA’s annual Red Auerbach Trophy, which goes to the best head coach of the year. Many media members have publicly stated Mazzulla deserves to win after guiding the Celtics to the Atlantic Division title despite superstar Jayson Tatum being out most of the year due to injuries, plus losing important players like Al Horford, Luke Hornet, and Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason. But as far as Mazzulla goes, this award needs updating.
Speaking to the media on Monday, just one day after the Celtics blew out the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Celtics’ head coach explained why he believes the NBA Coach of the Year award needs to be changed.
“If it were Staff of the Year, it’s different, if it were Organization of the Year â but at the end of the day, I haven’t made one basket all year. Our staff hasn’t made a basket. We haven’t gotten a block. We haven’t ran back on defense. We didn’t play in a back-to-back. We didn’t have to play hurt. We haven’t really done (expletive). So, if you don’t have the guys to be able to put you in position, it doesn’t really matter. Iâm just grateful â the greatest gift I have is I get to coach a bunch of guys that care about winning and being a part of the culture that we have,” Mazzulla said (via Celtics reporter Noa Dalzell).
Joe Mazzulla is One of the NBA’s Best Coaches
The 37-year-old Mazzulla took over for the Celtics as the team’s head coach in 2022 after former coach Ime Udoka was fired for violating team policies. Since then, Mazzulla has led the Celtics to an incredible 238-90 regular-season record, for an outstanding .726 winning percentage, the highest mark in NBA history. In addition, he helped lead the Celtics to the 2023-2024 NBA Championship in just his second season behind the bench. This year, the Celtics won 56 games despite Tatum missing most of the season, and are considered one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference and play in the NBA Finals.
Celtics Blew Out the 76ers in Game 1 of the Playoffs
The Celtics beat the 76ers by a score of 123-91 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup. Boston looked like a well-oiled machine once again, as stars Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus role players like Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White, all had strong games. The Celtics look like they have all the pieces in place to make another long playoff run now that Tatum is back, which would only lead to more calls for Mazzulla being the NBA’s premier coach, even if he himself thinks it’s more about the organization than himself.
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