Joe Mazzulla Helping Celtics Free Themselves of Losing Habit: 'Our Biggest Step'

Bobby Krivitsky | May 20, 2024

Jan 5, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks with guard Payton Pritchard. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Joe Mazzulla has worked to rid the Celtics of expectations. Shedding what can easily become a losing habit has fed into the "win the day" mantra they've adopted this season.

With Boston rarely playing down to its competition and quickly moving on from one matchup to the next, regardless of outcome, opponent, or that it's no longer the regular season and the stakes are elevated, has helped produce a 64-18 campaign, registering the best record in the NBA. They're 8-2 to start the playoffs, reaching the conference finals before anyone else.

"I think the value comes from not having an expectation, voiced Joe Mazzulla on Friday while discussing the Celtics' playing without giving into the expectation for how a game is supposed to go.  

"I really think that's the key to really anything. If you go into something thinking it's supposed to go a certain way, then your mind and your body is clouded by what is necessary to do in that moment. And so, the one thing this team has done a good job of this season is not playing with any expectations. If you're winning by a lot, if you're losing by a lot, it doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, it takes what it takes, and you've got to be present. And so the team has done a good job fighting for that. I think that's important. Managing our own expectations."

"I think it's been really good," said Payton Pritchard while discussing the mentality Mazzulla has worked to instill in the Celtics on Sunday at the Auerbach Center. "I've definitely learned a lot from him. 

"Joe really studies the game (and) studies the mental side of things a lot. And I think that's our biggest growth this year is how do we prepare mentally for the battle ahead and staying in the moment, and not losing ourselves? So, that's what I've learned the most from him, and I think he's done a really good job with that stuff."

The former Oregon Duck registered a +375 plus-minus rating, the highest total among all second-unit members this regular season, per NBA.com.

Pritchard generated 122.8 points per 100 possessions, the most in the league. His 13.6 net rating ranks fourth. And his 4.61 assist-to-turnover ratio is fifth among those who appeared in at least 41 games and logged 18 minutes per contest, per NBA.com.

His head coach preaching a mentality that includes treating the game with humility and letting go of expectations has sparked Boston's most significant growth from last season to this one in Pritchard's perspective.

"Like I said before, we're so talented, and I think our biggest step has been: how do we mentally bridge that gap with our talent? If we become mentally as strong as we are talented, then we're really dangerous. So, I think that's what we've really been harping on, and we've been growing on."

Mazzulla loves jiu-jitsu; he thinks about the movie The Town and how he'd rob Fenway Park when he's in the iconic venue, and he's maniacally competitive.

His coaching style is equal parts thoughtful and intense. Its authenticity is why it's embraced by players at career stages ranging from year four, like Pritchard, to a 14-year veteran like Jrue Holiday.

"You go with it," said Holiday. "You go with the craziness. He honestly makes you lock in because it's so different, you definitely have to pay attention to the things that he says. Sometimes, he might talk kind of fast, and he might talk through something, and you kind of be like, 'Wait, wait, wait, slow down.' But I think really locking in like that helps me because it really makes me go back and be like, 'Alright, what did he say? This is what we want to do.'"

The two-time All-Star defines Mazzulla's coaching style as "maybe controlled madness. It's definitely his way of preparing us, and I feel like, preparing himself, and I think it's been working."

As for whether he likes that controlled madness?

"Yeah, it's fun," conveyed Holiday. "It's different. I feel like some coaches, sometimes, it can be like methodical; it can be boring. But Joe definitely brings a spark and some like weird energy that I think kind of keeps us engaged and gets us going."

Further Reading

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Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Still Shaking Off Criticism While Growing as Leaders

Jrue Holiday Delivers 'Masterclass' in Game 3 Win vs. Cavs

Jayson Tatum Breaks Out of Scoring Slump That Never Defined Him: 'Underappreciated'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'