Joe Mazzulla was having dinner on Monday evening when he realized that he could be teaching within the All-Star Game. But it didn’t precisely spark a celebration for the first-year, interim Celtics head coach.
“I was just like, whatever,” Mazzulla mentioned. “I was at dinner with my wife and a few friends, so I had more important things going on at the time.”
Mazzulla – who, alongside along with his workers, was named the pinnacle coach for Team Giannis on the All-Star Game after the Celtics clinched the very best report within the East by means of video games performed on Feb. 5 – didn’t change that tune after an evening of sleep.
What does the distinction imply for Mazzulla?
“Nothing,” Mazzulla quipped earlier than Tuesday’s observe, earlier than he praised his workers and gamers for the Celtics being on this place, and mentioned that the expertise can be nice for his household.
But what does he take into consideration the All-Star Game format, the place groups can be picked by captains Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James proper earlier than the sport?
“I don’t care,” Mazzulla mentioned.
Turns out, Mazzulla may care slightly. At least in response to Marcus Smart. Informed that his coach claimed the distinction doesn’t matter to him, the purpose guard interjected.
“Bull—-,” Smart mentioned. “Bull—-. It says rather a lot. It’s simply the common-or-garden mentality that now we have. We received a whole lot of nice guys, from coaches and gamers, that would sit right here and boast about themselves about every little thing they’ve achieved and issues like that, however that’s not us. …
“He’s definitely pumped about it,” Smart added. “I mean, first time being a head coach and you go to coach the All-Star Game, I don’t see how you’d not be excited. But that’s just Joe. He does a good job of hiding his enthusiasm for certain things and other times, he lets you know.”
While Mazzulla might or might not care concerning the All-Star Game itself, it nonetheless represents one thing vital for the Celtics after how the season started 4 months in the past. Mazzulla, after all, was all of the sudden thrust into the Celtics’ head teaching chair simply days earlier than the beginning of coaching camp after Ime Udoka was issued a season-long suspension for violating workforce insurance policies.
The C’s, largely, haven’t skipped a beat underneath Mazzulla, who was a second-row assistant at the moment final season and whose solely prior head-coaching expertise got here at Division 2 Fairmont State.
“It definitely means something to Joe, and it means a lot to us for him to do it,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Joe’s been through a lot. He stepped into a situation that wasn’t ideal for anybody, and he strived and exceeded I’m sure a lot of expectations, so we’re happy for him.”
Mazzulla is the eighth coach in Celtics historical past to teach the All-Star Game and first since Brad Stevens in 2017. It additionally marks simply the third time within the final 24 seasons {that a} first-year coach was chosen for the All-Star Game.
Mazzulla deflected any credit score.
“It’s more of a testament to the players and to the staff,” Mazzulla mentioned. “The staff, as hard as they work on scouting and preparation and the relationships that they build with the players. So it’s a testament to the staff and then the players have to play the games and they have to win. And so I’m blessed that we have guys that you know work at it and I appreciate their support for our staff and for our organization. But if they don’t win the games and play as hard as they played, we’re not in this situation. So thank you to both of them.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com