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Mike Gorman Delivers Bold Take About Celtics' Joe Mazzulla
His rise to head coach of the Boston Celtics is well documented.
Joe Mazzulla went from sitting behind the C's bench to becoming the youngest active bench boss in the NBA at 34-years-old.
He did so right before training camp with minimal time to prepare and a small coaching staff he didn't pick. The Johnston, Rhode Island native described last season's experience as being in "survival mode."
Despite getting thrown into the fire, Mazzulla helped steer Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they came one win from returning to the NBA's brightest stage and the chance to compete for the Larry O'Brien Trophy for a second straight year.
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Over the summer, Mazzulla could exhale, reflect on a campaign that included a seven-game chess match with Erik Spoelstra, and how he can grow from the experience he gained.
He also got to pick his coaching staff, which now features two of the league's top assistants, Sam Cassell and Charles Lee.
Another change Mazzulla made was to spend more time on the court instead of his office, helping him stay more in tune with players further down the roster.
He's also more relaxed this season, something Celtics' play-by-play broadcaster Mike Gorman noted on the "Green With Envy" podcast, voicing he has "come 180 degrees in terms of personality" since first taking over for Ime Udoka.
"I think now he's comfortable with who he is and where he's going," continued the New England Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. "And he understands that he's going to win some, he's going to lose some, but he's going to be in them."
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Mazzulla's placed more of his imprint on Boston's basketball club this season, including leaning into the league-wide trend of having players crash the offensive glass from the corners.
It's a tactical adjustment he described the benefits of to Inside The Celtics, conveying the following.
"The corner crashes are two-fold: one, it gives us extra possessions, it's momentum plays, and then it also starts on transition defense because guys aren't getting stuck in the corner, and we're not in five on four or five on three early in the shot clock. So, it's a huge part of both our offense and our transition defense. So, it's something that we just have to continue to grow at."
It's a new wrinkle that's helped Boston win on the margins and jump out to a 16-5 record, second-best in the NBA. That includes being 10-0 at TD Garden.
Noting how rare it is to see this team get blown out, Gorman expressed, "He keeps teams in the game. I think he's the coach of the Celtics' next 20 years."
Gorman, who's called games for this franchise since 1981, added, "He was a guy like me in a way; he's in the right place, the right time, and he got an opportunity."
Gorman parlayed his chance into a Hall of Fame career broadcasting, calling over 40 years of the Celtics' matchups. Time will tell what Mazzulla does with his opportunity.
Further Reading
Kristaps Porzingis Sharp in Return, Helps Celtics Top Knicks
White and Porzingis Shine as Celtics Pass Physical Challenge from Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Why He Chose Celtics, First Impressions in Boston: 'Perfect Scenario'
Tyrese Haliburton, Another Sloppy 3rd Qtr., Propel Pacers Past Celtics in In-Season Tournament
Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard's Fourth-Quarter Performance in C's Win vs. 76ers
An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'
Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'
Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present
