When Joe Mazzulla was at NBC Sports Boston’s Media Day desk, he was asked if he was already game planning for this season while on the duck boats at the championship parade. He replied, “I mean, we were chanting ‘defense!’, just cause I think it’s an important identity to have and I think that the same level of intensity that the parade brought is the level of intensity you need to have throughout a season so there is definitely a connection there. That is important.”
He was dead serious — he did not laugh or smile once during his answer.
Most coaches would have chuckled at the question and said something generic like ‘yea, I was’ and then the host would have said, ‘you can never take your coaching hat off’ and the coach would have politely said, ‘guess not.’
Not Joe Mazzulla, who tells you about how he was chanting “defense” — at a parade, not during a game, but at a parade — and how the team needs to bring that same intensity to the season.
This is what I love so much about Mazzulla. He is so unapologetically himself all the time.
He was also asked if he enjoyed the offseason at his press conference.
Joe Mazzulla: “I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the offseason. I enjoyed the parade.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) September 24, 2024
Now, you could make the argument that Joe should have enjoyed the championship a bit more this offseason, but then Joe would not be Joe.
We all remember Derrick White calling him a “sicko” during last year’s Finals. At Media Day, it was Jayson Tatum giving us another Mazzulla gem when talking about being benched during the Olympics.
Jayson Tatum: “I talked to Joe a lot. Joe was probably the happiest person in the world that I didn’t win Finals MVP and I didn’t play in two of the games at the Olympics. That was odd. But if you know Joe, it makes sense.”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) September 24, 2024
Joe Mazzulla is unorthodox and quirky. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He does not care what people say about him; he just keeps winning and doing it his own way.
That is what makes Joe Mazzulla Joe Mazzulla.
Watch Mazzulla’s full presser from Media Day here:
And his full sit-down with NBC Sports Boston here:
