I swear head coach Joe Mazzulla reads and listens to every part. Watch the postgame pressers and also you’ll discover that Mazzulla not solely has an virtually photographic reminiscence of the sport, but additionally the narrative that the press has formed round his staff. Simply ask the Globe’s Gary Washburn about Boston’s reliance on three-point capturing.
Final week, he spent a lot of his media availability speaking concerning the perils of expectations and the load of successful. Because the league’s entrance runner heading into the All-Star break, the Celtics are atop most energy rankings and are +260 with our pals over at DraftKings to lift Banner 18.
That stage of bar elevating comes with the territory whenever you’re the pinnacle coach of a contender and Mazzulla has been higher with taking all that in stride and the way he interacts with beat writers and nationwide journalists. Nonetheless, he does get a bit of prickly when pundits criticize his teaching workers’s strategy or the staff’s technique. TNT’s Charles Barley talked about how Boston isn’t powerful sufficient to win a championship, regardless of their total file and web ranking. And on Tuesday, it was former Celtic and ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins chiming in:
To go one step additional
KP: 18.0% put up up frequency (eighth within the NBA)
Tatum: 10.3% (fifth amongst wings)
Brown: 8.8% (thirteenth amongst wings)
Jrue: 8.7% (1st amongst guards) https://t.co/bzdz28WqCx— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) February 13, 2024
That’s our Playback host Jake Issenberg clapping again to Perkins with details and Barstool Sports activities’ Dan Greenberg with extra numbers. However nothing — NOTHING — is healthier when Mazzulla has the most important mic drop of the day. Take a look at the Celtics first six factors towards the Nets final night time:
Submit up, put up up, put up up. And in his post-game presser, Mazzulla determined to place the cherry on the sundae:
“We talked about it per week or so in the past. We positively must put up extra. I don’t assume we’re posting sufficient,” Mazzulla stated. He continued, “I used to be joking. We’re second in frequency and first in effectivity.”
All we want now’s for Stephen A. Smith is to say one thing silly in 3…2…1…