Joe Mazzulla isn’t letting Celtics coast on past success
NY Post
BOSTON — As the Celtics began the defense of the 18th NBA title in their history with a banner raising and ring ceremony Tuesday night at TD Garden, head coach Joe Mazzulla made sure to remind them that the 2023-24 season officially is over.
“This team, the 2024-25 Celtics, is not great, yet. That’s it right there,” Mazzulla told reporters ahead of the season opener against the Knicks. “Do we have the potential to be? Yes. The key word ‘yet’ is very important. Do we have great talent? Yes. Do we have great players? Yes. Do we have a great foundation? Yes.
“Is this ’24-25 team great yet? No, because we haven’t been in a game. It just takes time and every season is different. Assuming that you’re just going to [do what you did] in the past doesn’t necessarily mean this is going to work now. You have to stay open-minded to do something different.”
Still, the Celtics are returning all of the players who played significant minutes in the NBA Finals last spring against the Mavericks, even though Kristaps Porzingis was not in the lineup Tuesday night due to an ankle injury.
As All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who signed a $314 million super-max extension over the summer, said earlier in training camp, the goal “was never just about trying to win one” championship.
A core also featuring Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White will attempt to fend off the retooled Knicks and the rest of the Eastern Conference.