Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Has Wild Take on Revolving Doors

Mazzulla discussed revolving doors during 'Pardon My Take' interview.
Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
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Joe Mazzulla's second year as the head coach of the Boston Celtics has gone well, you might say. Boston led the league with 64 wins and Mazzulla did an excellent job of quickly and effectively incorporating offseason additions Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday into the gameplan. The sophomore head coach is a deserving candidate for NBA Coach of the Year. He also continues to issue endlessly fascinating takes on the world.

Mazzulla is prone to occasionally causing a stir with what he says to the media. During last year's postseason that saw the Celtics bow out in the Eastern Conference finals, the sports world became obsessed with Mazzulla's love of the movie The Town. This year, the object of fascination might end up Mazzulla's view on revolving doors.

Appearing on the Barstool Sports podcast "Pardon My Take," Mazzulla revealed he never uses revolving doors because there is a risk he'll get trapped as part of a wider-ranging discussion about how he goes about his everyday life.

Well, he's not wrong. There is inherently a larger risk factor in using a revolving door rather than a standard door. Nobody wants to get stuck in such a cartoonish situation. I am personally happy to live my life without ever worrying about that, but to each his own.

It is a bit of a silly soundbite, but provides perspective into Mazzulla's coaching. If he's so consistently aware of potential threats that he won't use a revolving door or sit with his back to an entrance, then he is certainly not going to skim the scouting report of the opposing team's 11th man. Constantly considering what might happen is an important part of being a leader. Because if he doesn't do it, who will?

The fact Mazzulla lives like this all the time, not just when he's on the Celtics' sideline, shouldn't come as a surprise. He told everybody in fewer words last season, when he was asked how he balances the risk of getting too intense while still getting his message across to the players in the postseason. Mazzulla's answer? "It's the playoffs. There's no such thing as too intense."

For Joe Mazzulla, you can eliminate the "playoff" qualifier. It's clear there's never such thing as too intense in his world. Not even when it comes to revolving doors.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.