From comparing his players to the different Spider-Men from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” to revealing that he avoids revolving doors to avoid becoming a “sitting duck,” Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is known for his unique thought process.
Mazzulla’s mindset when it comes to following up Boston’s 2024 NBA championship win is just that — unique.
I specifically avoided using “when it comes to defending the title” because Joe would most certainly be disappointed in me.
“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term,” he told John Karalis on the Locked On Celtics podcast. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most.”
The Rhode Island native makes a great point. If the Celtics want to stay on top and have sustained success, then they’re going to have to stay hungry. This thought process from Joe shouldn’t be surprising. Throughout their championship run, he implored his players never to get too high or too low and to take the season one game at a time.
All he’s asking is that they bring that same mantra along with them as they push for Banner 19.
“Whether you’ve won or haven’t won, your mindset can’t change,” he continued. “You have to understand what goes into winning and losing, commit to the details on a daily basis, and remain aggressive. You’re not defending something; you’re attacking a new goal.”
He’s absolutely right. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the Cs will be striving for a new goal — winning back-to-back championships — something that hasn’t been accomplished by a Celtics team since Bill Russell was wearing the green and white.
Will the second title be harder than the first was? Almost certainly, yes.
First and foremost, they’ll be starting the season down one of their key contributors with Kristaps Porzingis working his way back from injury. Hopefully, he’ll be back by Christmas, but there hasn’t been any real update on his timeline since he underwent surgery earlier this summer.
For now, everyone else is healthy, but who knows how much wear and tear the team will face after playing through mid-June, especially with Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday all suiting up for Team USA at the Olympics — not to mention that the team’s core has played deep into the playoffs for the past three seasons.
There’s a sizeable contingent of the Celtics community that feels as if health is the biggest threat to a repeat run. While that’s fair, there are a few teams that believe they should have a shot when it comes to that title.
Mazzulla’s mantra rings true here for sure. The Celtics have an entirely new challenge in front of them this season with some of the improvements within the Eastern Conference. They’re still the “kings” within the “animal kingdom,” but they’ve got to remind everyone this season.
Both the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers made major moves this offseason to try and improve their roster in hopes of competing with Boston. The Knicks brought in Mikal Bridges, while Philly lured Paul George away from LA.
Beyond that, the Orlando Magic’s young core will have another year under their belt, as will the Indiana Pacers. Plus, the Milwaukee Bucks may finally have Giannis Antetokoumpo healthy for a postseason run, after failing to get out of the first round without him for the past two postseasons.
All of these teams are coming. It’s just what happens when you win: the rest of the pack is going to try and keep up the best that they can.
“People’s going to say the target’s on our back, but I hope it’s right on our forehead, in between our eyes. I hope I can see the red dot,” Mazzulla told Karalis last week.
Back, forehead, it doesn’t matter. Joe Mazz is going to have his guys ready for war and wants all of the smoke. There may be no better coach in the league to keep his team engaged while striving toward the goal of back-to-back titles.
