Joe Mazzulla Is Under Pressure Against a Coach Who Understands His Position

Erik Spoelstra recognizes what the Celtics coach is facing, having been in a similar situation early in his career with the Heat.

Erik Spoelstra gets Joe Mazzulla. Perhaps because Spoelstra once was Mazzulla. In 2008, Spoelstra, a 37-year-old assistant on Pat Riley’s staff, was elevated to head coach, taking over a Dwyane Wade–led team with playoff aspirations. His first official game came at Madison Square Garden, where Knicks fans took aim at the Heat’s young leader on the sideline.

“Everybody was saying that I was out past my bedtime,” Spoelstra said. “I do remember that.”

Nearly 15 years later, Spoelstra, now 52, is one of the NBA’s top coaches. He has led Miami to five Finals appearances, collected two championship rings and this season has steered an eighth-seeded Heat team to a 1–0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. On Wednesday, after Miami blitzed Boston in the second half, Jimmy Butler credited Spoelstra for infusing the Heat with the confidence to do it.

Spoelstra’s success, though, has been forged through adversity. The Heat were bounced in the first round in each of Spoelstra’s first two seasons. In 2010, Miami signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Expectations skyrocketed. But Spoelstra clashed with James early. The Heat started 9–8. Critics suggested Riley should come down from the front office to coach the team again. Eventually, the Heat coalesced and advanced to the first of four straight Finals. But in those first few months, Spoelstra said, “I was beating myself up quite a bit.”

Joe Mazzulla led Boston to a 57-win season :: Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports

By any measure, Mazzulla’s first season in Boston has been a success. He took over under challenging circumstances—former coach Ime Udoka’s season-long suspension, which came just days before the start of training camp—and led the Celtics to a 57-win season. At 34, Mazzulla, the NBA’s youngest head coach, finished third in voting for Coach of the Year. His in-game adjustments in the conference semifinals (reinserting Robert Williams III into the starting lineup in Game 6, attacking Joel Embiid in pick-and-rolls in the second half of Game 7) are among the reasons Boston is four wins away from a return to the Finals.

Lately, Mazzulla’s mistakes have been magnified. He has faced criticism for his game management, specifically his refusal to call timeouts. With Boston down one in the closing seconds of Game 4 against Philadelphia, Mazzulla declined to call one. The Celtics failed to get a shot off before the buzzer. During Miami’s 46-point third quarter in Game 1, Mazzulla didn’t call a single timeout to attempt to slow the Heat’s momentum.

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“Joe is real big on a lot of times not bailing us out on stuff when we’re playing like shit,” said Marcus Smart. “So, we’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror. Joe can call a timeout, and then what, we come out and do the same thing? It’s on us.”

Spoelstra understands the pressures of coaching a team with high expectations. And he had nothing but praise for the job his counterpart has done.

“I think he’s done a great job,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve gotten to know Joe a little bit over the years. He’s a sharp guy. His care factor is through the roof. His maturity is beyond his years. He’s been in this program for a while now. I think that’s probably what’s most relevant. He knows what’s important to this organization and he has a lot of experience with these guys. He’s earned their trust.”

Spoelstra said he got to know Mazzulla in the NBA bubble, when teams were locked down in Orlando to finish the 2019–20 season. “We always just seemed to be bumping into each other,” Spoelstra said. While Spoelstra has been coaching the core of this Heat team for years, he has been impressed with how Mazzulla has succeeded with a team he took over on the fly.

“What he’s done this year is not easy,” Spoelstra said. “You definitely have to respect that.”

Entering Game 2, Mazzulla again faces pressure. Butler (35 points) was unstoppable in Game 1. With Boston regularly forced to double-team, Miami torched the Celtics (51.6%) from three-point range. Mazzulla will have to find creative ways to contain Butler. That could include reinserting Grant Williams, a sturdy, versatile defender, into the rotation. After Game 1, Mazzulla noted Boston outplayed Miami for three of the four quarters. Among his responsibilities will be to make sure the team is focused for all four.

“When you’re playing at a certain level, especially against a team like this, you can’t just think that what you did in the past is good enough,” Mazzulla said. “So we have to adjust our mindset. Regardless of what we’re doing in one quarter, we have to raise our level of urgency, we have to raise our mindset, knowing that they’re going to respond. That’s what this series is about, how long can we stay the more competitive, the more physical, the more disciplined basketball team.”