The season is on the line for the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, with the storied NBA franchise facing elimination heading into Game 5 against the Miami Heat at TD Garden.
With the Celtics needing to do something that no other team in the league has ever done, come back from 3-0 down in a playoff series to advance to the NBA Finals, the pressure is on, especially for head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Ahead of the most important game of his coaching career, Mazzulla was asked how he’s handling things and how he’s been preparing for this win-or-go-home Game 5 scenario in Boston.
Mazzulla didn’t hesitate to share a touching story about meeting three young women with terminal cancer and how that experience put things in perspective for him moving forward via Celtics on CLNS.
Joe Mazzulla delivers a powerful message ahead of Game 5 when asked about the C’s win-or-die mentality
Mazzulla mentioned he met 3 young women with terminal cancer which helped his perspective
“You always hear people give glory to God and say thank you when they’re holding a… pic.twitter.com/MCK9xhjAqu
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) May 25, 2023
Clearly, Mazzulla is in the right frame of mind heading into a crucial matchup, which could determine whether the Celtics stick with him this offseason or decide to make a change at head coach.
The Celtics are facing long odds to advance to the NBA Finals for the second straight season, with the Heat proving to be as tough an opponent as expected after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It’ll be interesting to see if Mazzulla and company can keep their playoff hopes alive on Thursday night as they defend their home court, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown expecting to take one step closer to making NBA history.
As Mazzulla and the Celtics attempt to get a win on Thursday night, the Denver Nuggets await their opponent in the Finals and will likely be the favorite to win it all regardless of their opponent.
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