Celtics ‘sicko’ coach Joe Mazzulla one game away from proving critics wrong
NY Post
DALLAS — The difference between weirdo and genius is winning.
Joe Mazzulla, after enduring a firestorm of criticism, is now experiencing the positive part — the praise of his basketball acumen as the 35-year-old sits one win away from breaking Bill Russell’s record as the youngest coach ever to win an NBA title.
Think about that turnaround for a second. Only a year ago, Bostonians wanted him fired. He was their interim coach at first following the shock suspension of Ime Udoka, who engaged in “an intimate relationship with a female staff member,” according to ESPN. Udoka was popular among the players. He brought a defense-first identity that carried the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals.
So when Mazzulla’s Celtics bombed in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat, the vultures quickly circled. It must’ve been Mazzulla’s fault, right? The players didn’t change, just the coach. The blame went straight to the sideline to the easy target, Mazzulla, who was an unpolished public speaker with a cold demeanor and looked, from a distance, unapproachable.
How could the players connect with a coach like that?
If suspending Udoka was the right thing for protecting the organization, it was the bad move for basketball.
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