‘He’s sick’: Mazzulla’s unique tactics are paying off for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
To say Joe Mazzulla is intense would be an understatement. But there’s a method to his madness, and it’s part of the reason the Boston Celtics are one win away from raising the 18th Banner.
The Celtics had a 21-point lead over the Dallas Mavericks entering the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Wednesday night as the Mavs went on a 22-2 run to close the gap to one point. . In years past, the C’s may have let the wheels fall off completely en route to a confusing loss. However, Mazzulla’s club fought back and outscored Dallas by six points in the final three and a half minutes to achieves a 106-99 road victory and takes a 3-0 series lead.
Boston certainly benefited from superstar Luka Doncic fouling out with 4:12 left in the quarter. But the Celtics also benefited from the message Mazzulla has instilled in them all season: The more success you have, the harder it is to win.
“If you’ve ever been in a fight with someone and you think you’re about to beat them, they usually punch you,” Mazzulla told reporters before Game 3 in a bit of foreshadowing. “The closer you are to defeating them, the closer you are to losing.”
To prepare his team for these tough moments, Mazzulla has dedicated himself to celebrating adversity. When the Celtics blew a 19-point lead in a six-minute span against the Sacramento Kings in early April, for example, Mazzulla described the last quarter as “fun” and “awesome” and “a perfect environment to run in.”
So Boston’s players knew what to expect from their head coach Wednesday night when things got tough in Game 3.
“I mean, he’s probably very happy that it happened that way, so he can keep telling us that,” Celtics guard Derrick White said after the game while referencing Mazzulla: “the closer you get to winning, the more you’re close to losing.” mindset.
“But he just stays consistent. He just makes the right decisions and we completely trust him.”
But Mazzulla in fact Do you enjoy watching your team blow a 21-point lead in an NBA Finals game?
“He’s a psychopath, so probably,” White responded, laughing.
“He’s a psychopath, so probably.”
Derrick White on whether or not Joe Mazzulla enjoyed the chance to bounce back after a blown lead pic.twitter.com/7yBEcRdvDT
– Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 13, 2024
As if to drive home his teammate’s point, Celtics star Jayson Tatum explained in his postgame press conference how Mazzulla shows the team video clips of MMA fighters being choked to drive home the point of avoiding complacency.
“Joe does a great job showing us clips and stuff from different sports,” Tatum said. “He’s a big UFC fan and he shows us fights of people who, I don’t know the UFC terminology, they get choked out and s–, like they’re about to give up. You just see ‘The guy or the woman who’s winning.’ he relaxes because he feels like he’s about to win, and then you bring life to the other person.”
Tatum then referenced a quote that may sound familiar.
“I just try to translate that to the game of basketball: The closer you are to winning, the closer they are to surviving,” Tatum said. “Basically, I’m just trying to remind the group that we still have a long way to go. We still have to play the right way. We still have to win. They’re not going to give up, and we should expect the best from them from now on.” “
We’re not sure how many other NBA coaches use UFC fights as motivation or They refuse to sit with their backs to the door at their local Dunkin’, but there probably aren’t many. However, Mazzulla’s unique coaching style is clearly taking a toll on his players: The Celtics are a perfect 6-0 in clutch situations this postseason (scoring within five points in the final five minutes) and have thrived in moments. more challenging.
“I think Joe is a basketball genius,” White added. “So whatever he says, I’m going to try to do it to the best of my abilities.”
