Joe Mazzulla Thread, Head Coach – (COTM, Dec 2023 & March 2024)

[Fencer reregistered]

Former Celtics fan Mark D. seems to be an admirer of Joe M.

https://www.boston.com/sports/local-news/2024/04/03/td-garden-a-special-place-for-thunder-coach-and-leominster-native-mark-daigneault-to-visit/

It sounds like more than just generic coach speak, although he also isn't ranking Joe at #1 overall.

“They are incredibly well-coached on both ends of the floor.

“When you coach against him, you are put in tactical dilemmas which is part of having really good players, but they leverage that to the fullest. So, it’s very uncomfortable playing against them because of their talent and how well-constructed they are, but also coaching against him. I think that because of the talent on the team and the experience of the team and where the team is in it’s cycle, it’s been overlooked at how good of a job he’s done, but he’s one of the best coaches in the league.”

[SLCceltic]

I've embraced Joe this season. X's and O's, coaching philosophy aside, I've embraced him because he's a mad man. I LOVE the trying to block the other team's shot bs. I LOVE how a game or two ago when PP hit a big 3 that was the start of a run for us to end the other team's chances of coming back he was yelling and hitting him on the back as the shot went in with PP near our bench like Joe himself was a player on our bench. He's calm and almost indifferent in the interviews sometimes, but I don't feel like he's that at all when coaching and with the guys. If they can win it all this year, he's a guy who coach us through the entire run and we wouldn't have a situation where your roster can still compete, but it needs a new voice to get it out of them like past contending teams (Celtics ones included) needed.

I'm not saying he's without criticism, as nobody is, but I also believe he's a guy who is open to ideas and if something doesn't work will either continue to improve and find out either how to make it work or what should be done instead. Just like with the Jays though, this post-season will define a lot of things for Joe as well. Either way he'll still be a mad man lol.

I LoVE Joe ! Love how young he is, LOVE his wiring and temperament ...I'm rooting hard for him personally, and because a coaching-change mid Championship-Window is just NOt good !

Complacency and capacity to dial up winning plays in crunchtime is not looking good tho...

I HoPE Joe can get a better handle on these areas, or that we can get hot and just blow through these POs, give Joe more time on task to get better at these things...

We are ALL-in, have great roster construction/cohesion, and are very healthy ... LoTS of pressure on Joe

hope he makes it !

[SLCceltic]

As far as COTY, he's not quite there yet

But we don't need for him to be, we just need for him to help get us out of our own way when we have built a lead, and then give us some better looks with the game on the line.

PO atmosphere ShOULD help alot with the complacency, but Joe needs some serious crunchtime Xs &Os arrows in his quiver ...creating a half-dozen framework plays for players like Jays KP with Jrue Dwhite &Horford there to facilitate doesn't seem that hard, ha ha

[zoyathedestroya]

Hard not to appreciate Joe as a coach when you hear stuff like this:

With the Bucks, Holiday was predominantly assigned to opposing lead guards, having to slither his way up and around bruising screeners on possession after possession. With the Celtics, he has guarded everyone from Donovan Mitchell to Julius Randle and Joel Embiid. “Where I came from, we kinda did one or two different things. But here, any type of defense you can think of, we’ve probably done it,” Holiday said. “Just thinking the game, looking at matchups, looking at how we can disrupt teams out of timeouts. Even out-of-bounds plays, [sideline out of bounds], whatever it is. Just trying to look at the game and think it differently.”

I always thought our defense with Brad (and even Ime) was kinda vanilla and lacking innovation/variety. The stuff we've been trying this season would be more suited for postseason play. Thankful they've weaponized Holiday in this manner.

[shackles10]

Hard not to appreciate Joe as a coach when you hear stuff like this:

With the Bucks, Holiday was predominantly assigned to opposing lead guards, having to slither his way up and around bruising screeners on possession after possession. With the Celtics, he has guarded everyone from Donovan Mitchell to Julius Randle and Joel Embiid. “Where I came from, we kinda did one or two different things. But here, any type of defense you can think of, we’ve probably done it,” Holiday said. “Just thinking the game, looking at matchups, looking at how we can disrupt teams out of timeouts. Even out-of-bounds plays, [sideline out of bounds], whatever it is. Just trying to look at the game and think it differently.”

I always thought our defense with Brad (and even Ime) was kinda vanilla and lacking innovation/variety. The stuff we've been trying this season would be more suited for postseason play. Thankful they've weaponized Holiday in this manner.

I noticed during last nights game JJ mentioned playing zone when another team just set up up an ATO to mess with them and it’s something I never thought of (the timing of the zone anyways), but Joe went and did exactly that and what we’ve learned of his personality makes me believe he did it only to mess with them too.

[zoyathedestroya]

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Easy top 3 for me. And I have my complaints and apprehensions about him. But since it’s a regular season award, I think he’s done a good a job as any. Numbers don’t lie. He’s led an all-time great regular season team. Not his fault that the East is such a dump. And there's this projection where even if Cs played half of their games vs the West, they’d still be at the top of the league.

[zoyathedestroya]

This is Joe's case for CoY in a nutshell:

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Their worst 10-game stretch was 6-4. Happened only once. Two of the losses were to top two West teams and the other was to the Bucks on 5th game in 7 nights and 2nd night of B2B on the road after winning OT against another top West team. This level of consistency and superior play doesn't happen without proper coaching/guidance/preparation especially when you don't have an MVP on the roster.

[zoyathedestroya]

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Here’s hoping that’s the case. *crosses fingers*

[zoyathedestroya]

Watch on YouTube

[Fierce1]

Joe wins Coach of the Year, no doubt about that.

[zoyathedestroya]

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Matt Reynolds is challenge GOAT.

They should also come up with a stat for PPS immediate coming after a successful challenge.

[Fencer reregistered]

Joe wins Coach of the Year, no doubt about that.

Probably not.

Mark D. in OKC probably wins it, and may even deserve to. Finch in Minny and Mosley in Orlando have arguments too.

I'd put Joe second behind Mark D.

[shackles10]

I'm not saying Joe should win COTY, but if he gets knocked because he has a loaded roster then why is Mark D. not knocked for having a guy who's been #2 in MVP odds ever since Embiid got eliminated due to number of games. MVP's generally win a lot of games don't they?? It's like the Wish version of the Tatum argument of his teammates are too good so he doesn't get credit, but also his teammates aren't good enough to be all-stars. Make up your mind people...

[zoyathedestroya]

Per Shams, Mazzulla is owed $14M for next two seasons. He's signed through 2025-26.

[Larry_Russell]

So regarding COTY, let me see if I got this right.

Brown cannot dribble left
Tatum is not as good as the other top MVP contenders, Brunson is better
KP is injury prone
Horford is old
Jrue is a choke artist
Joe Sucks
Improved on last season by 8 wins
Posted all time historical numbers
40% of starting lineup was changed over last season.

But Joe cannot win COTY because the team is far too good around him, we are expected to win games.


SGA should be MVP
Holmgren is 2nd in ROTY, and was competing as the winnger earlier in the season
J. Williams is a legit MIP candidate

but Coach is easily coty because he took such a bad team to such a great improvement?

[Fencer reregistered]

Per Shams, Mazzulla is owed $14M for next two seasons. He's signed through 2025-26.

$7 million/year?

I thought he was being paid a lot less. Good for him.

And by the way, good for the team for investing in expensive assistant coaching and so on. No luxury tax multiplier on those expenditures.

[zoyathedestroya]

Per Shams, Mazzulla is owed $14M for next two seasons. He's signed through 2025-26.

$7 million/year?

I thought he was being paid a lot less. Good for him.

And by the way, good for the team for investing in expensive assistant coaching and so on. No luxury tax multiplier on those expenditures.

I'm unsure about the number. I think the wording is more like $14M left until 2025-2026. So dunno if that number includes this current season.

[Fencer reregistered]

So regarding COTY, let me see if I got this right.

Brown cannot dribble left
Tatum is not as good as the other top MVP contenders, Brunson is better
KP is injury prone
Horford is old
Jrue is a choke artist
Joe Sucks
Improved on last season by 8 wins
Posted all time historical numbers
40% of starting lineup was changed over last season.

But Joe cannot win COTY because the team is far too good around him, we are expected to win games.


SGA should be MVP
Holmgren is 2nd in ROTY, and was competing as the winnger earlier in the season
J. Williams is a legit MIP candidate

but Coach is easily coty because he took such a bad team to such a great improvement?

To me, the most persuasive argument for Mark D. is that 2 of his top 3 players are YOUNG. Coaching can be presumed to matter when your #2 and #3 players are a rookie and sophomore.

[Larry_Russell]

So regarding COTY, let me see if I got this right.

Brown cannot dribble left
Tatum is not as good as the other top MVP contenders, Brunson is better
KP is injury prone
Horford is old
Jrue is a choke artist
Joe Sucks
Improved on last season by 8 wins
Posted all time historical numbers
40% of starting lineup was changed over last season.

But Joe cannot win COTY because the team is far too good around him, we are expected to win games.


SGA should be MVP
Holmgren is 2nd in ROTY, and was competing as the winnger earlier in the season
J. Williams is a legit MIP candidate

but Coach is easily coty because he took such a bad team to such a great improvement?

To me, the most persuasive argument for Mark D. is that 2 of his top 3 players are YOUNG. Coaching can be presumed to matter when your #2 and #3 players are a rookie and sophomore.

I didnt realize that Mark coached Chet into being a franchise altering top draft pick who was a legit 7 foot shotblocker with 3point range on his jumper.

Or that a runner up to rookie of the year could improve in his second year without Mark coaching?

[Parliament10]

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