With twenty-five games to go, the Celtics have a 7.5-game lead in the East, an eight-game winning streak, a top-6 rotation that rivals the best in the league, a reliable four-man bench, and two added reinforcements following February’s trade deadline.
For head coach Joe Mazzulla, while there may be areas to improve in, much of the regular season is about maintaining what the team is already doing.
“Really, just the mindset and then the transition from what we emphasize in practice and in our film sessions to the game, finding a way to execute in the present with the end in mind,” Mazzulla said after a lengthy practice on Monday. “Being able to live in both those spaces at the same time which our guys have done a really good job of doing, but hey, here’s a situation that could come up tonight, but it could come up in Situation X, Y, or Z.”
One of the best examples of this Mazzulla “mindset” from last season was Blake Griffin. The 13-year vet started 16 games last season for the Celtics and appeared in 41. When he played, he was effective and knew his job, but for his teammates, his lasting effect might have been his influence in the locker room and his ability to keep it light.
“Obviously, Blake’s probably one of the best teammates all of us have ever had. Any time you have him around, it’s great, but I feel like it’s his decision and we respect that. We all just love having him around,” Derrick White said.
White’s comments come after he and Payton Pritchard appeared on a podcast and were asked about Blake’s potential return to Boston.
Here’s a snippet from their interview with Barstool’s Pardon My Take from MassLive’s Brian Robb:
“I don’t know. We begged him to,” Pritchard told PMT.
“I think the whole team has been begging him to,’ White added.
Several members of the team reached out to Griffin back during the team’s West Coast trip in December I’m told about a potential return. However, the outreach from the Celtics has continued in recent weeks.
“I texted him actually a week ago or two jokingly being like, ‘Coming back for one last ride?’ He says he’s enjoying his life,” Pritchard said.
Show host Dan Katz then proceeded to call up Griffin during the appearance with Pritchard and White, deflecting when asked about a potential return later this season.
“We talk quite a bit,” Griffin said. “I’m just enjoying my life right now guys.”
“I talked to him one or two times when we were in LA, but when he told me at the end of last season that his family was the most important thing, I stopped talking to him about it,” Mazzulla said. “I know what it’s like to be away from your kids and your family. He’s always going to make that decision and what’s best for him.”
Adding Xavier Tillman Sr. suggests that the front office is comfortable with their front court depth now and the team could go in several directions with their final roster spot.
Two years ago, they promoted Sam Hauser from his two-way contract and added him for their Finals run. Isaiah Thomas has campaigned for it on X. Griffin, however, might make the most sense as the most veteran alum of the Mazzulla era. While the Bus 1 Boys have all moved up in the rotation, there will always be room for the leader of that gym rat pack.
