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Celtics Coach Recalls First Day with Organization: 'I Get to Be a Part of This'
The Boston Celtics return from the All-Star break sitting atop the NBA standings at 43-12. No other team has reached 40 wins. They'll finish this regular season with a winning record even if they don't win another game.
While there are countless factors in their success to this point, one of them is that along with assembling the league's most talented top six, in Joe Mazzulla's first chance to fill out an NBA coaching staff, he built one of the best in the Association.
While new additions Charles Lee and Sam Cassell headline the assistant coaches flanking Boston's second-year bench boss, Tony Dobbins has earned the right to become a mainstay, starting with Brad Stevens, then getting retained by Ime Udoka and Mazzulla.
When Udoka returned to TD Garden in January for the first time since the 2022 NBA Finals, he conveyed the following while discussing keeping Mazzulla on his coaching staff.
"I kept him and Tony Dobbins, and there were a few guys that were highly recommended, not only by the front office and the people that were here, but by the players as well, and I took, especially Marcus (Smart), Jaylen (Brown), Jayson (Tatum), Al (Horford), the veterans, I took heavily regarding who they liked and who they wanted to keep."
After a 13-year professional career that included three Defensive Player of the Year awards and two French Cups, the Washington, D.C. native joined Stevens' staff as a video coordinator.
Thinking back on his first day in a piece that the Celtics put together profiling him, Dobbins recalled, "Aug. 17th, 2017, that was my first day that I walked into the practice facility in Waltham as a Celtics employee. And just the goosebumps, the tingles, the chills, the nervousness, the anxiety, all these emotions, kind of, wrapped up within me of, 'I can't believe I get to work here. I can't believe I get to be a part of this organization.'"
He also shared, "My wife and I always joke, 'We came to Boston with two bags each, and now we have two kids.' There's a value placed on family, there's a value placed on relationships, there's a value placed on development, and that to me is one of the things that is genuine and authentic about this organization."
Further Reading
Jaylen Brown Praises All-Star Snub: 'Excelling His Game at a Rapid Pace'
Jayson Tatum Addresses Discourse Around His MVP Candidacy
Jaylen Brown Doesn't Win Dunk Contest but Delivers Most Poignant Moment
Jayson Tatum's Approach vs. Nets Tale of Two Halves and Steadfast Commitment
Brad Stevens Discusses Celtics' Plan for Final Roster Spot
Brad Stevens Sheds Light on Celtics' Motivations for Xavier Tillman Trade
Marcus Smart Shares How Boston Shaped Him, His Message to Celtics Fans
Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'
Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'
Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'
