Mazzulla’s brief comments suggest Celtics locked in for Game 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
After the Celtics’ blowout loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd noted that Boston entered the game “ready to celebrate” while Dallas was more focused on the task at hand was available.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla seems determined to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
When asked Sunday what it would mean to him to join a “special brotherhood” of coaches to win a championship in Boston, especially at such a young age – at 35, Mazzulla would being the youngest head coach to win a title since Celtics player/coach Bill Russell in 1969 — Mazzulla took a hard turn to the present.
“That will never happen if you don’t run back on defense, rebound, execute and get your yardage,” Mazzulla responded. “That is the most important.”
Joe Mazzulla gives a blunt answer after being asked what it would mean for him to join a list of legendary Celtics coaches to win the Finals:
“That will never happen if you don’t run back on defense, rebound, execute and get your yardage.” pic.twitter.com/Q9G87NHzXF
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 16, 2024
The Celtics fell short in almost all of those areas Friday night in Dallas, where the Mavs outscored them 52-31 and put up 122 points, the most Boston has allowed in regulation this postseason.
The good news for C fans? Mazzulla’s club has a good track record of recovering from ugly losses.
Boston was a perfect 3-0 during the regular season after games it lost by more than 15 points, with an average margin of victory of 16 points in those games. This postseason, the Celtics followed their 10-point loss to the Miami Heat in the first round with a 20-point win in Game 3, then followed up their 24-point second-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 13-point win points in Game 3.
If history repeats itself Monday night in Game 5 at TD Garden, the Celtics will become NBA champions. But Mazzulla’s players are taking a page from their head coach’s book and doing their best to stay in the moment.
“You can’t take it for granted. It’s going to be tough,” Celtics wing Jaylen Brown said Sunday of the lessons his team can take from Game 4 into Game 5. “You’re going to have to fight and just stay in the moment.
“That’s the most important thing: We come out and become a team. Win as a team, lose as a team. Just come out and be the best version of ourselves.”
Part of what has made the Celtics so great this season is their ability to not let losses snowball; they have only lost back-to-back games three times and have yet to lose three games in a row en route to a 79-21 overall record.
That starts with the tone their head coach sets – and which Banner 18 could deliver as early as Monday evening.
“I think the most important thing is that our process of getting better has been the same, whether we’ve won or lost, whether we’ve won a lot or lost a lot,” Mazzulla added.
“We’ve always tried to find the 10 or 12 assets that we can get better at and find the things that we’ve done pretty well and how we can do more of them. “I’ve just been following a consistent process toward getting the postgame back, and then how we can grow with that heading into the next game.”
Game 5 tips at 8:30 PM ET on Monday, with Celtics Pregame Live from 7pm from TD Garden.
