Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has made sure to keep his team’s upcoming title defense in perspective.
After running the NBA gauntlet to raise the franchise’s 18th championship banner in June, the Celtics kept their roster virtually intact ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
The NBA has not seen a back-to-back champion since the Golden State Warriors’ title runs with Kevin Durant in 2017 and 2018.
While speaking to reporters on Monday, Mazzulla was asked if the Celtics were feeling any “pressure” as the team contends for another championship.
“Zero. No pressure,” said Mazzulla, via Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. “We’re all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn’t matter anymore. So, zero pressure. You’re either going to win or you’re not. And when you win, you try to forget about it a week later, and when you lose, you try to forget about it a week later. It’s not pressure. It’s an opportunity. We have an opportunity here for the next few years, however long we’re together.
“… We’re either going to win or we’re not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral, and that’s it. That’s it.”
Say what you want about Joe Mazzulla, but the Celtics coach rarely holds a boring press conference.
Based on Mazzulla’s “odd” conversation with Jayson Tatum over the summer, it’s probably safe to say that Joe’s frank nature is not just an act for the media.
