Celtics Game 3 Takeaway: Joe Mazzulla Is A Sicko
Joe Mazzulla is a somewhat puzzling, enigmatic young head coach by NBA standards. Despite enjoying a prosperous rise to prominence with the Celtics in recent years following Udoka’s departure, Joe has largely been away from the limelight until recently.
On Wednesday, the Celtics took game three against the Mavs, advancing to a 3-0 lead, but the team also killed quite a lot of birds with just one stone alongside the win.
Tatum had a great game, providing retaliatory ammunition for his advocates and quieting the “Kyle Kuzma with aura” allegations. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown continues his consistent level of play, further justifying his position as the second-highest-paid player in the league at $49M starting next year.
Joe Mazzula’s Role
Also—Derrick White, who’s arguably the team’s glue, told reporters that HC Joe Mazzulla is a “sicko” because he probably enjoyed the fact that the team almost blew their lead and had to fight back to win.
"Yeah, Joe is consistent the whole time," said White. " And I mean, he's probably so happy that it happened like that so he can just continue to tell us that. He just stays consistent. He just makes the right calls and we trust him completely. Yeah. Seemed pretty true today."
On whether or not Joe enjoyed the struggle, White says, "He's a sicko, so probably."
Basically, Joe Mazzulla is the David Goggins of NBA head coaches.
Now, to be clear, Joe still has nothing on Shai Gilegeous-Alexander when it comes to consistency. Like, come on, his whole life is consistent.
And despite his somewhat perplexing demeanor at times, Joe has had enough quirky, deep-hitting answers with reporters to rival even Jalen Hurts as perhaps the greatest podium philosopher in all of sports—that’s an award, right?
The Round Up—Big Picture
Bob Cousy is regarded as an all-time Celtics great, having played for the team back in the 50s and 60s, winning several championships along the way. He’s 95 now, and he said recently that before he passes, the last thing he wants is to see the Celtics hang yet another banner in the rafters.
That is looking fairly likely right now. Despite Porzingis’s injury uncertainty, the team has been outright handling the two-headed snake that is the Dallas Mavericks, effectively stifling their role players and countering it with an elite balance of young talent and astute, effective veterans.
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