Boston Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Reveals Honest Thoughts On Kyrie Irving And Luka Doncic

Joe Mazzulla spoke to the media about Dallas Mavericks stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Mar 1, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics will face off against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Game 1 of the series will be on June 6 (in Boston).

On Saturday, head coach Joe Mazzulla met with the media and revealed his honest thoughts on the challenge of slowing down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

Mazzulla via the NBA: "There is no 'stopping' them. There is defending them at a high level, and there's playing a complete game because every part of the game is connected."

"There is no 'stopping' them. There is defending them at a high level, and there's playing a complete game because every part of the game is connected."

- Coach Mazzulla breaks down the mental test of guarding Kyrie and Luka pic.twitter.com/k08QvaocHl

— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2024

Irving and Doncic are in their second season playing together.

After missing the postseason in 2023, the Mavs did an excellent job of bouncing back and finishing this year as the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record.

May 26, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) hug during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game three of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic finished the regular season with averages of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 48.7% from the field and 38.2% from the three-point range in 70 games.

Meanwhile, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 49.7% from the field and 41.1% from the three-point range in 58 games.

"That's the fun thing about being a guard in the NBA, every night it's somebody different and obviously Kyrie and Luka are at the top of that list"

- Derrick White on embracing the challenge of guarding the two elite scorers🗣️ pic.twitter.com/xpIppcHNUr

— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2024

Mazzulla is in his second season at the helm for Boston.

They are coming off a year where they lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

So far, the Celtics (who are the first seed) have defeated the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in the first three rounds.

May 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts against the Indiana Pacers in the second half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics won their last title in 2008, while the Mavs most recently won in 2011.

Joe Mazzulla on Kyrie and Luka:

“There is no stopping them. There is defending them at a high level, and there's playing a complete game because every part of the game is connected.” pic.twitter.com/xuGdkzoYl0

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 2, 2024