The Boston Celtics were put in a challenging position after they parted ways with head coach Ime Udoka for an off-the-floor scandal.
With the storied franchise in a championship window, and stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown becoming one of the best duos in the NBA, the Celtics turned to Joe Mazzulla to take over.
It was a tall task, to say the least, as he inherited a team ready to win immediately, meaning the pressure was on right away to produce results.
Even though the odds were against him, Mazzulla exceeded expectations by winning the franchise’s NBA record 18th title, breaking a tie with the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers.
It was an interesting turn of events, with Mazzulla and Udoka having two different coaching styles and personalities, which both seemed to work, with Celtics players buying into the new leader on the sidelines.
Now getting back to work at training camp and preparing to defend their title in the 2024-25 NBA season, Brown had an interesting take on his current head coach.
“Joe Mazzulla is a psycho. In a good way,” Brown said, via Noa Dalzell of SB Nation.
Jaylen Brown says training camp has been very hard:
“Joe Mazzulla is a psycho. In a good way.” pic.twitter.com/BNliWaQy6F
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) September 27, 2024
Now that Mazzulla has won over his players and led them to an NBA title, the real question is whether he can get them back to the NBA Finals in the improved Eastern Conference.
Fortunately for Mazzulla, the Celtics have one of the most talented rosters in the league and likely won’t fall off anytime soon, with Tatum and Brown leading the way.
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