It’s not every day that you’re walking down the street and have to do a double-take because you just saw the Larry O’Brien trophy out in the wild.
That was the case for those in Boston’s North End on Wednesday, as Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla went for a stroll with the franchise’s 18th championship trophy.
Just two days after winning the NBA title, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla brought the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy to multiple restaurants in the city’s North End, where some lucky fans got to touch the NBA’s ultimate prize. ❤️☘️ https://t.co/UaboS0LwWI pic.twitter.com/DSBzofC8Ge
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) June 20, 2024
As Joe made his way through the streets of Boston’s oldest neighborhood, he gave fans a chance to feel the 15-pound prize as they flooded the streets.
And when I say flooded the streets, I mean FLOODED the streets.
Just look at all of these people chasing Joe and his crew.
The Rhode Island native’s willingness to go out and celebrate with the community exemplifies his connection with Boston and really all of New England. He understands what it’s like to be on the other side, what it’s like to be a fan, and how much it means to the very people he was celebrating with to win a championship.
He clearly loves the city, and it loves him right back.
A brand-new mural of Joe went up in Cambridge’s Central Square, shortly after the Cs clinched the title.
Joe’s display of Celtic Pride went viral pretty quickly, after his various quotes from appearances on the “Pardon My Take” and “The Lowe Post” podcasts had dominated Celtics fans’ timelines all day.
This wasn’t the 35-year-old’s first time doing podcast appearances, but it certainly served as a reminder that he is an excellent guest. His many anecdotes, unique viewpoints, and behind-the-scenes insight make for incredible content.
It was pretty tough to miss the clip of him explaining how he used a scene from “The Dark Knight” to try and help Jayson Tatum better deal with outside pressure and expectations.
“We’re watching the scene where Batman goes into the interrogation room with Joker… Batman goes ‘Why do you want to kill me?’ And the Joker starts laughing at him like ‘I don’t want to kill you, I need you. You complete me’… It was the coolest moment of good and evil have to coexist,” Mazzulla told Big Cat and PFT Commenter. “Differences have to coexist in order to bring the best out of each other.”
Mazzulla also revealed that Kristaps Porzingis was so determined to help the team finish the job in Game 5, that the big man overruled the medical staff and decided to suit up.
“When it was Game 5 at home, it was like, ‘Hey, this might be it; I gotta be out there.’” he said during the same appearance. “And so, he was like, ‘I’m playing.’ And so he overrode the medical team there. And he was like, ‘I’m playing.’ And credit to him.”
Boston’s man in charge has his coaching mindset span further than just the basketball court. When ESPN’s Zach Lowe asked him what role he’d take on in a bank heist, he basically said that he’d be the coach of the whole operation.
On a more serious note, Joe is already focused on taking the Celtics’ success and sustaining it as long as possible.
“That’s all I’ve been thinking about since the horn went off,” Mazzulla told Lowe. “What type of temperature are we going to set, how are we going to find that balance of maximizing the opportunity that we have?”
He added that he’s been studying Pep Guardiola and Manchester City to try and best prepare to string together championship seasons.
Mazzulla’s unbelievable hot streak on Wednesday should give us all some great perspective on how much he rules, not only as a coach but as a guy.
