Joe Mazzulla officially named head coach

[lars10]

I wonder if his relative lack of that same relationship background with Smart (Who predates Mazzulla in the organization by several years, while CJM and the Jays arrived roughly at the same time) was a factor in needing to ship Marcus out in order to unlock the best potential of this team. I didn't see too many signs last year that Smart didn't buy in, he mostly was just playing the way he always had... but maybe in retrospect, that itself was a sign that Mazzulla wasn't getting through to him, while both of the Jays have improved in very visible, measurable ways each of the last few years.

I think part of the Marcus smart experience was a tendency to sow chaos and go off script. He also very clearly went against the idea of doing as much as possible to find the best shot… as he very often preferred his own.

I also think he saw himself as a leader and as a peer of Tatum and Brown rather than someone that should defer to them… which also meant he wouldn’t/didn’t take kindly to a smaller role.. and wouldn’t allow DWhite to expand his role as was very clearly needed.

I think any coach would struggle under those circumstances and Smart was the one who had to go do that Joe could become the main voice in the room.

 

[ZMart100]

Adding KP was what mattered. I think a KP, JT, JB, DW, Smart and Al top 6 would be nearly as good as this team.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

If the Celtics disappoint in the playoffs, I think firing Mazzulla will not be the most likely move in response.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I wonder if his relative lack of that same relationship background with Smart (Who predates Mazzulla in the organization by several years, while CJM and the Jays arrived roughly at the same time) was a factor in needing to ship Marcus out in order to unlock the best potential of this team. I didn't see too many signs last year that Smart didn't buy in, he mostly was just playing the way he always had... but maybe in retrospect, that itself was a sign that Mazzulla wasn't getting through to him, while both of the Jays have improved in very visible, measurable ways each of the last few years.

I don’t think it was that Marcus wouldn’t buy in but trading MS for KP was a massive upgrade at 2 spots - 5 and 1 (to use old-school terminology). I think it was as simple as they really couldn’t sit MS for DW in crunch time and not have issues; MS had good value on the trade market; and getting KP was a no-brainer given what happened in MIA.

Though I often wonder if BOS had beat MIS in G7 and heard everything about being the 1st team to come back from 3-0 and then lost to DEN in say 6 games, would POBOBS still have gotten KP?

 

[bankshot1]

My 2 scents.

1) Marcus Smart as an agent of chaos was a reflection there was no leadership on the court or on the bench. He saw a vacuum and he filled it. He was the NO, NO YES! guy because all too often no one else stepped up. And he saw the rudderless ship and probably should have STFU, but he got shit for it and got traded. BUT it was a great trade. I wholly underestimated the impact of KP. I watched him mostly in NYC and he isn't the same player. He's a lot better. I only hope he doesn't break.

2) I'm still not all in on CJM. He's had a real good year, matured in many ways, and upped his game, but I still have my reservations about his ability to adjust his in-game coaching when coaching and putting your team in advantageous positions, matter. But we'll soon find out. I hope my concerns are overblown.

Last year, after coming back from 0-3 to the Heat, I knew he wasn't getting fired, but I wonder if Derrick White's miraculous G6 South Beach buzzer beater was 0.1 seconds later, if CJM would have a one and done in Boston.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

If you don’t click on this link and read this story, you would be missing out on a little bit of amazing.

Thank you for this

 

[Montana Fan]

A few weeks ago Mazzulla made the comment that he calls timeouts when the team isn’t playing well, not just based on runs by the other team. Since then I’ve watched the timing of his TO’s and while other team‘s runs sometimes coincide with the C’s not playing well, he’s also calling TO’s when they get out of sync, regardless of whether there’s a run or not. Learn to like him, he’s greatly improved over last year (the reasons, i.e., support staff are well documented in this thread) and he’s going to be here for a while.

 

[lovegtm]

If the Celtics disappoint in the playoffs, I think firing Mazzulla will not be the most likely move in response.

Agree. This regular season has validated how much it matters to collect top-end, well-meshing talent. If that talent doesn't translate to the postseason, Brad's response will likely be to change the talent.

The NBA is a player's league; it's not the NFL. If your coach is reaching the players motivationally and designing solid schemes for them, you treat that as a constant and use picks/salary to give him the best roster you can.

 

[Euclis20]

View: https://twitter.com/NBA_University/status/1778175641621283284


Joe has challenged the 2nd most calls, and has the 4th highest success rate. No idea he was that good (and some fodder for the 'Kerr is overrated' crowd).

 

[lovegtm]

View: https://twitter.com/NBA_University/status/1778175641621283284


Joe has challenged the 2nd most calls, and has the 4th highest success rate. No idea he was that good (and some fodder for the 'Kerr is overrated' crowd).

Kerr either needs a better assistant, or is doing it for player emotional support reasons ("let's show Dray we have his back and challenge the call")

 

[Auger34]

Kerr either needs a better assistant, or is doing it for player emotional support reasons ("let's show Dray we have his back and challenge the call")

I would bet a very large sum of money that those challenges were done for Steph/Klay/Dray

 

[slamminsammya]

Kerr either needs a better assistant, or is doing it for player emotional support reasons ("let's show Dray we have his back and challenge the call")

I was just thinking the same thing.

I think a successful challenge is generally worth something like 1 point, so the differences in success rate seem pretty minor. The number of challenges shows a much larger variance. It seems like malpractice to me that Spo only has 15 (? the viz is difficult) attempts

 

[lovegtm]

View: https://twitter.com/NoaDalzellNBA/status/1781316871255363747

 

[slamminsammya]

View: https://twitter.com/NoaDalzellNBA/status/1781316871255363747

this guy is nuts.

 

[Auger34]

…..hm…..yeah, Mazz is definitely a tool

 

[InstaFace]

As said many times in this thread: yeah, he's a psycho, but he's our psycho.

At least Mazz has, like, a normal family life. I'm not sure Thibs has even dated anybody in the last 20 years, he's married to the job.

 

[mostman]

Facing the doors while eating is a thing I do as well. And I learned it from my grandfather. I also sympathize with the win every situation I’m in and what that mindset does for interactions with family and friends. Maybe I could be an assistant coach for Joe.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Lots of people who reach the highest level of athletics have to be a little (or a lot) crazy. LeBron mentioned that on his first podcast with JJ. Scal talks about the dark places he used to go to in order to compete. I remember when I was youjng reading a SI article about some athlete or coach who was so competitive, he had to "outorder" his dining companions for lunch or dinner.

That being said, someone should tell Joe that no using revolving doors is actually losing - i.e., losing energy. https://www.vox.com/2014/8/13/5995537/do-revolving-doors-save-energy. The chances of something happening to him in a revolving door is not worth the energy that is lost by using a standard door in the winter or summer (don't care if the AC/Heat isn't on).

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

PMT had Blake Griffin on earlier in the week (after his retirement announcement - Griffin is a long time guest/former Blake Of The Year award winner). BG said that in the NBA players can sniff out inauthentic behavior quickly and this is who Mazzulla is. He seemed pretty complimentary while saying it too so while Joe may be "built different" it seems to work for the team.

 

[JCizzle]

They had Blake Griffin on earlier in the week (after his retirement announcement - Griffin is a long time guest/former Blake Of The Year award winner). BG said that in the NBA players can sniff out inauthentic behavior quickly and this is who Mazzulla is. He seemed pretty complimentary while saying it too so while Joe may be "built different" it seems to work for the team.

You'd have to be even more psycho to fake being as weird as CJM.

I'm rooting for the guy, it's nice to have characters - especially when they're your weirdos.

 

[joe dokes]

I was just thinking the same thing.

I think a successful challenge is generally worth something like 1 point, so the differences in success rate seem pretty minor. The number of challenges shows a much larger variance. It seems like malpractice to me that Spo only has 15 (? the viz is difficult) attempts

With Kerr, and his mighty thin team, there may be some situational value at a longer-shot attempt--maybe its Curry's 3rd foul in the first half or somesuch.

 

[lovegtm]

…..hm…..yeah, Mazz is definitely a tool

I was posting this in appreciation: I really want my coach to be an obsessive psycho.

 

[bigq]

I root for the laundry. As long as Mazzulla is not doing anything dangerous or putting others at risk I'm okay.

Whatever he is doing it is working. He seems leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last season in terms of leadership competence. He has the league's best starting five (and a damn good bench as well) and he seems to know how to get them to work together as cohesive unit. Part of that is probably knowing when to get out of the way. However, to his credit, the team seems to be fully bought in to his offensive and defensive philosophies. If the team can keep winning in the playoffs at the rate they won in the regular season it will make for a highly entertaining and rewarding April and May.

Can the Celtics playoff games start already?

 

[InstaFace]

That being said, someone should tell Joe that no using revolving doors is actually losing - i.e., losing energy. https://www.vox.com/2014/8/13/5995537/do-revolving-doors-save-energy. The chances of something happening to him in a revolving door is not worth the energy that is lost by using a standard door in the winter or summer (don't care if the AC/Heat isn't on).

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

Right - I didn’t take him to mean that he’s like the T-800 making quantitative judgments of benefits/risks.

 

[lovegtm]

I root for the laundry. As long as Mazzulla is not doing anything dangerous or putting others at risk I'm okay.

Whatever he is doing it is working. He seems leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last season in terms of leadership competence. He has the league's best starting five (and a damn good bench as well) and he seems to know how to get them to work together as cohesive unit. Part of that is probably knowing when to get out of the way. However, to his credit, the team seems to be fully bought in to his offensive and defensive philosophies. If the team can keep winning in the playoffs at the rate they won in the regular season it will make for a highly entertaining and rewarding April and May.

Can the Celtics playoff games start already?

I agree that his leadership has improved. One underrated thing when people are asking for Adjustments! during the playoffs is that the players need to buy in to those adjustments.

Last year, you definitely had the inmates running the asylum, with guys lobbying for TL to start, or Grant to play more, whatever. Spoelstra makes great gameplans and adjustments, but he also does a ton of the relationship work with players that you have to do to get them to buy in on the fly and over the course of the season for that stuff.

The Cs clearly have had great schematic buy-in on both ends this year, and that bodes well. Bring on the games!

 

[HomeRunBaker]

Aside from one year of experience he is probably the same guy who Brad retained for whoever the next coach would be when he went upstairs.

This Year Support:
* Sam Cassell
* Charles Lee
* Jeff Van Gundy
* Full offseason and training camp to implement his stuff.

Last Year Support:
* Ime’s cast of 2nd row assistants who were apartment hunting in Houston or wherever else he’d end up.
* Told here’s your team two weeks before first exhibition game.

 

[lovegtm]

Aside from one year of experience he is probably the same guy who Brad retained for whoever the next coach would be when he went upstairs.

This Year Support:
* Sam Cassell
* Charles Lee
* Jeff Van Gundy
* Full offseason and training camp to implement his stuff.

Last Year Support:
* Ime’s cast of 2nd row assistants who were apartment hunting in Houston or wherever else he’d end up.
* Told here’s your team two weeks before first exhibition game.

Yes. I think people really underestimate how much of a logistical operation running a team is. This is probably more intuitive to people who have run companies/departments, but things are never as easy as "Jayson, go implement this tactical adjustment!" There's an entire information supply chain that leads up to those moments.

 

[joe dokes]

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

He's a pretty quiet guy. Maybe it was a silent flick that got him:
View: https://youtu.be/vWIopUcHBOg

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

This interview is gold. I am interested to hear the takes on it here.

I like him even more now.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

Maybe if he's really scared of being taken out while in a revolving door, I'd like to hear his therapy sessions.

 

[Auger34]

You'd have to be even more psycho to fake being as weird as CJM.

I'm rooting for the guy, it's nice to have characters - especially when they're your weirdos.

Yeah, exactly. I’m not sure anyone could possibly criticize CJM for being “inauthentic”. the dude is weird as fuck, that’s not something you fake to look better.

I think he’s a good coach and the players have bought in, which is all that matters.

Off the court, and this has nothing to do with his performance as a coach so please don’t get this twisted, I find him pretty off putting. If I was a fan of literally any other team, I would be dunking on him a bunch for all of his weird interviews and quirks

 

[Humphrey]

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

That or his grandfather told him bedtime stories about the Cocoanut Grove fire.

 

[TripleOT]

Mazzulla grew up in the era of the tragic 2003 Station night club fire in West Warwick RI, where 100 patrons perished, many stacked up like cordwood in the exits. He grew up in the municipality with the highest percentage of Italians anywhere not in Italy, so he must be aware of the history of mob killings in restaurant. I’m guessing his favorite movie was The Godfather, previous to 2010, lol. Those might be a couple of reasons for his restaurant seating preferences, which I share.

Mazzulla’s job is to win. I like that he tries to win at everything.

 

[snowmanny]

Maybe he just watched the climactic montage at the end of The Godfather where the guy gets locked into the revolving door before being shot into swiss cheese. Like, it could just be a phobia.

I am reasonably sure he never gets a massage half asleep with his glasses off and the door unlocked. Also, he probably takes the stairs.

 

[ifmanis5]

This interview is gold. I am interested to hear the takes on it here.

I like him even more now.

Came off as a complete lunatic but I did laugh when he referred to himself as a 'backrow slapdick' when he was an assistant. He dropped quite a bit of profanity.

 

[bankshot1]

Its funny for a guy who is afraid of revolving doors he got stuck in one.

A year ago he entered the ECF against the Heat and got spun around pretty good before exiting. And here he is again facing the Heat. I hope this time he figured which is the preferred exit to take.

 

[InstaFace]

“If we ever decided to rob Fenway, I was like, ‘We could probably really get away with this.’ How could you not go to Fenway and not think you could rob it?”

Mazzulla explains his fascination with the movie The Town

More at the link. It's from the same Pardon My Take interview.

 

[Auger34]

“If we ever decided to rob Fenway, I was like, ‘We could probably really get away with this.’ How could you not go to Fenway and not think you could rob it?”

Mazzulla explains his fascination with the movie The Town

More at the link. It's from the same Pardon My Take interview.

totally normal to go to Fenway and think about how you could rob things and get away with it. Not weird at all! Glad it’s our guy thinking about robbing Fenway!

 

[InstaFace]

totally normal to go to Fenway and think about how you could rob things and get away with it. Not weird at all! Glad it’s our guy thinking about robbing Fenway!

He's just trying to win every situation he's in!

 

[bankshot1]

He's just trying to win every situation he's in!

Sounds like CJM could use a TO to rethink and reset his grip on reality and insanity.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

totally normal to go to Fenway and think about how you could rob things and get away with it. Not weird at all! Glad it’s our guy thinking about robbing Fenway!

It’s the cathedral of Boston, after all.

 

[Auger34]

He may be a stone cold fucking wack job but at least he’s authentic

 

[HomeRunBaker]

totally normal to go to Fenway and think about how you could rob things and get away with it. Not weird at all! Glad it’s our guy thinking about robbing Fenway!

93.4% of Johnston High School males have thought this exact same thing. Totally normal for his upbringing.

 

[Auger34]

93.4% of Johnston High School males have thought this exact same thing. Totally normal for his upbringing.

I don’t know Johnstom High or if this is sarcasm…

But not only thinking about it, as a middle aged man, but thinking he could get away with it is fucking insanity.

I get that he’s the Celtics coach and we all want them to succeed but the guy is a fucking nutjob. The more he says the more insane he sounds. He’s basically firmly entrenched himself in the Tyson Zone

 

[HomeRunBaker]

I don’t know Johnstom High or if this is sarcasm…

But not only thinking about it, as a middle aged man, but thinking he could get away with it is fucking insanity.

I get that he’s the Celtics coach and we all want them to succeed but the guy is a fucking nutjob. The more he says the more insane he sounds. He’s basically firmly entrenched himself in the Tyson Zone

No it’s totally normal for that area. When we were in high school we stole the mailbox from the RI mob bosses driveway on a dare. And didn’t get caught. Some parts of RI are a unique place to grow up.

 

[bankshot1]

Presumably that interview reflects his current adult perception and not that of a teenager dealing with raging hormones. He comes off as fucking crazy. if I were Brad I'd tell him to tone it down or fantasize about a Disney flick like Snow White and how he'd deploy the 7 dwarves. Who starts, who's off the bench. ZONE or dwarf to man. I'm thinking zone. Can you stop Grumpy and Dopey running the pick and troll?

Although I'd love to hear CJMs game plan for ripping off da Cathedral of Boston.

 

[Light-Tower-Power]

All in on Joe after watching the interview. He might be an unhinged psycho, but he’s our unhinged psycho. I didn’t realize how funny he was when he’s not talking basketball.

 

[Auger34]

honestly, I am laughing at him not with him (and let’s be honest so are the PMT boys. You can tell after the revolving door nonsense)

But he’s a character and characters are entertaining. It’s fun to have…(of course I won’t stick up for him too much because he’s absolutely fucking nuts but as long as he’s not too problematic off the court and the Celtics keep winning I can deal with it)

 

[snowmanny]

We kind of already knew he was a psycho trying to win every situation, right?