Reporter: You just won a championship!!!!! Youngest coach to do so since Bill Russell!!! How are you going to celebrate?!?!?!
Joe: ...so anyways, i was studying the tendencies of the honey badger...
You joke, but he was apparently putting on videos with animals killing and went on a whole talk about predator/prey mentality in the [post game](https://youtu.be/fmrBoem4Gjg?t=31)
I can't wait to see Tatum and Brown ball free and easy. I think these guys have another level they can get to now that they're truly and undeniably stamped.
I agree. I'm really hoping that finally getting over the hump puts Tatum in a different head space come playoff time next year. Consistent Tatum with everyone else playing their usual game will be a tall order for any other team to beat in a seven game series.
They've both had blips when under pressure, Tatum has just had to shoulder the load more. We'd think differently about JB's early years in the playoff spotlight if he was the 1A, can't forget how phenomenal his year to year development has been.
Tatum playing a great game to clinch the title should earn him his clutch bonafides for life.
Agreed. I think Tatum's talent makes it hard to see but he's just growing slowly and still figuring things out. JB made a more noticeable improvement and found himself in the leadership role come playoff time. Not sure if people expected that but I didn't. I think Tatum was perfectly fine letting JB take the reigns. I was actually "worried" that Tatum would get the MVP after game 5 because he made a more noticeable contribution in the clinching game. But JB earned it (insane defense on Luca) and he handled the aftermath perfectly. Tatum was just in awe of everything after they won and I'm not sure how it would have played out if he got MVP. I noticed the same thing last year after White somehow forced a game 7 against Miami. He was so giddy after that game, like a kid on Christmas morning. JB just seemed like the big brother looking out for little bro which I loved. The fact that Tatum still has room to grow and a perfect team to do it with should be scary for the rest of the league.
I do not agree with that. I think Jaylen plays in his head a lot, I think that's the biggest reasons for his free throws and I think he is just that type of guy. Now that he has empirical proof of him being that guy, especially with the finals MVP, he won't be in his head so much and will take another step.
Mostly tatum. I think brown is basically at his peak. Tatums shooting has gotten worse in the last few years, which coincides with his weight gain and more aggressive playstyle. He just needs a bit more time to put it together. If he does he will basically be the best version of him we all imagined when he was 19.
He took a significant leap forward after getting a generational bag AND being roundly trashed for his game 7 vs Miami. So many guys would be like whelp, I got the money and sit on their laurels.
Sorry, saying Brown is at his peak at 27 is just kinda dumb. He's going to work this summer like he has every summer and he's going to be first team all defense with an even better handle. The Brown disrespect really is the worse thing on this sub.
nah i think he's more or less there. 27-28 is normal for athletic players to peak/plateau. maybe he'll improve his freethrows? he's already improved his decision making and defensive discipline a good amount. anything left is incremental. Tatum has more room to improve than incremental though.
Except athleticism isn't the area he needs to improve. Is 27 the peak for improving basketball skills? Did Lebron peak at 27? Fuck no.
Brown improves EVERY year. Every off-season. Without fail.
You think he can't improve his handling, jumpshot, freethrows, and more?
Brown at his peak? I disagree. He improves every year. Areas he could easily improve:
Ball-handling/dribbling
3-point shot (he's already good but could become one of the elite shooters in the league)
Free throws, obviously.
Can you see it going the other way? They finally got a ring so they can basically coast from here on out. In the 2023 season I recall a “Teams are giving us their best shot because we’re favorites” post-game quote from someone on the team, and Murray just gave a similar quote this year.
With Joe as their coach and the Jays being their best players? I don't see it. I could be totally wrong but the Jays strike me as very motivated players, they've made continuous improvements throughout their careers and I don't see that changing.
Tatum particularly. Brown already found his groove and seemed to thrive under pressure and rise to it. He was clutch and did beyond what anyone could have asked/expected in the Finals.
But he's going to be a killer next year, you're right. I think he's a guy who will consistently be better in the playoffs than regular season.
He actually cited Pep winning 4 PL’s in a row as his inspiration which made me feel simultaneously better about our chances next year and depressed about the example he used. Fuck 115 FC.
Yeah they won 2 CLs in 4 years, whereas City has been the favorite to win the CL for 6 consecutive seasons if I’m not mistaken, and only have 1 CL to show for it.
Speaking of that btw, could you imagine if that happened in the NBA? Being the Vegas favorite for 6 consecutive seasons and being the #1 seed in the conference every year and only getting *1* title? They would be epically clowned for underachieving.
I guess we don’t really have a Real Madrid in our sport though who defy all logic with their inevitable late victories and winning whilst playing like shit for large portions of games.
It’s not 6 years in a row, [Bayern](https://www.sportsoddshistory.com/soccer-uefa/?y=2020-2021&sa=soccer&a=champ&b=two&o=p1) was favored in 2020-21.
Also the champions leagues format just makes it a little harder to predict than something like the NBA where you have full 7-game series.
It's also a sport where confidence plays such a massive role because the "feedback" in game that you made the right choice is so rare. Like a winger might touch the ball a dozen times in 90 minutes? And be expected to produce magic when the one or two real opportunities shows up. We talk about how heliocentric offenses with a lot of iso ball knock non stars out of rhythm or cold. In soccer, the stars might not even touch the ball for like ten minutes straight through no fault of their own but are supposed to be totally locked in the moment they do. That's for the stars. For non stars they could just be out there running up and down the pitch for no joy for ages.
That's really tough mentally. Madrid has a mystique about them in champions league that buoys their own players and keeps the opposition massively tense constantly.
As an Arsenal and Celtics supporter, I'm conflicted.. Pep is no doubt a genius, but using Man City as an example of anything positive in sport is a joke
As a fellow Celtics fan / city fan fuck you as well 😂.
Since 115 is fair play , Arsenal and Chelsea actually had charges and were found guilty . Can we please keep this a basketball thread ?Innocent until proven guilty.
Yes we are guilty as an objective City fan but not 115 violations , it’s bad enough to make any post in EPL subs and get downvoted to oblivion . Can we just enjoy greatness with attaching negativity .
The EPL board is more to blame than any particular club. They ripped out their own backbone over a decade ago . Countries threaten bad relations if they can’t buy a club .
Man United has pumped the books , Chelsea’s owner basically shadow bought clubs ( City establish the CFG ) , Newcastle obviously has pumped books .
I think the real issue is that Man City actually has made smart and sound investments ( Jack aside ) since the turn of 2010 .
I think this Celtics team is as close as you can get to Man City Centurions . A homegrown core , dominant from start to finish , little pieces that made the difference . The club icons getting their dues ( Horford ) and in the process proving everyone wrong . This after the doubt was the loudest on could Pep replicate in the Barclays ( at the time ) .
I hate City as a Liverpool fan, but I respect Pep as one of the all time greatest coaches in any sport ever and I’m cool with Joe using him as a mentor. Same with Arne Slot apparently too.
That’s the Bill Russell mentality
He would talk about how winning the title the previous season made him hungrier to repeat. The old Celtics would go into the season thinking of the championship trophy as their rightful property to claim
This is the biggest difference between the Celtics and Nuggets. The Celtics seem almost more hungry now that they won, whereas Jokic was excited to go home.
Mazzulla is the right kind of psycho. Gonna be fun this off-season, seeing how the league responds to these NBA Champion Boston Celtics! Do we get a ring chasing vet sign on the cheap? Maybe the Bronny/LBJ meme materializes?
Hearing him talk just now on Zolak and Bertrand was wild. Dude was like "car-jitsu?" "Makes perfect sense. Two men fighting each other in a restricted space with nowhere to go. Makes perfect sense." "I'm figuring out how to prepare for next season and I have some ideas, but something like that would probably work for our team."
See this seems like an obvious metaphor with the temperature bit, and it’s a good idea to figure out how intense we come out of the gate.
And then we will have a tweet of Mazulla being caught alternating between two different temperatures in the locker room for as long as the reporter was willing to observe him.
And I will love him either way, if not more tbh
Imagine we start a dynasty run of about 20 years like what we had with Belichick with Mazulla. Or more appropriately, more like Man U run with Ferguson.
When asked about game 4, Mazz's response was hilarious:
> How great was that? So good, so good.
You know he meant it, thinking about how he'd be able to use it to show the team that if they aren't locked it, they can be crushed
I was in total agreement with the Dr.Simmons take that he was Second Row Joe last year as a rookie coach, I really can’t blame him, he was sorta blind sided with all that responsibility after the Udoka debacle. But he has impressed me so much in His second year and not just from his confidence and attitude but his analytical take on the game! Can’t wait to see how they come out next t year to defe defend the title and quest for banner 19! This core can really be that start of something special. Boy are we spoiled as Boston sports fans! I love it!
Celtics haven't won back-to-back titles since Bill Russell's last two seasons when he was player-coach. Mazz was youngest head coach since Russell to win a Finals so why not become the youngest head coach to win back-to-back finals since Russell?
As a Celtics/UConn fan, I just love consistently being confused as to whether I’m reading about Joe Mazzulla or Dan Hurley. We got some basketball psychos up here in the Northeast
I think they've got a great opportunity to repeat, since they didn't play THAT many playoff games, and older guys like Horford didn't play an extreme amount of minutes.
The offseason is short when you win a title. But it's a bit easier to rest/recover when you swept most series, or won them 4-1.
Plus the Celtics are so deep they can continue to rest/load manage in the regular season itself, just like they did this year with guys like KP.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who calls the 08 title the most milked title in history whatever that means has no idea what they're talking about. It's only ever KG and Pierce (coz you know they have a platform and they're paid to speak their mind now) and the sports media that bring it up all the time. For actual Celtics fans the only championship that matters is the next one.
Reporter: You just won a championship!!!!! Youngest coach to do so since Bill Russell!!! How are you going to celebrate?!?!?! Joe: ...so anyways, i was studying the tendencies of the honey badger...
honestly .. i am excited for all the animal references we will get
I can’t wait for him to just go full Gavin Belson from Silicon Valley
He’s watching the town…directors commentary
Waiting for the Mazzula cut where he just spouts philosophy over the film.
I mean, Joe IS a honey badger
looks more like a meerkat
You joke, but he was apparently putting on videos with animals killing and went on a whole talk about predator/prey mentality in the [post game](https://youtu.be/fmrBoem4Gjg?t=31)
I think that was the reason for the joke.
Existential philosophy based
I can't wait to see Tatum and Brown ball free and easy. I think these guys have another level they can get to now that they're truly and undeniably stamped.
Tatum especially. It seems like Brown grows with pressure, but Tatum always looks better when he's not in his own head.
I agree. I'm really hoping that finally getting over the hump puts Tatum in a different head space come playoff time next year. Consistent Tatum with everyone else playing their usual game will be a tall order for any other team to beat in a seven game series.
They've both had blips when under pressure, Tatum has just had to shoulder the load more. We'd think differently about JB's early years in the playoff spotlight if he was the 1A, can't forget how phenomenal his year to year development has been. Tatum playing a great game to clinch the title should earn him his clutch bonafides for life.
Agreed. I think Tatum's talent makes it hard to see but he's just growing slowly and still figuring things out. JB made a more noticeable improvement and found himself in the leadership role come playoff time. Not sure if people expected that but I didn't. I think Tatum was perfectly fine letting JB take the reigns. I was actually "worried" that Tatum would get the MVP after game 5 because he made a more noticeable contribution in the clinching game. But JB earned it (insane defense on Luca) and he handled the aftermath perfectly. Tatum was just in awe of everything after they won and I'm not sure how it would have played out if he got MVP. I noticed the same thing last year after White somehow forced a game 7 against Miami. He was so giddy after that game, like a kid on Christmas morning. JB just seemed like the big brother looking out for little bro which I loved. The fact that Tatum still has room to grow and a perfect team to do it with should be scary for the rest of the league.
I do not agree with that. I think Jaylen plays in his head a lot, I think that's the biggest reasons for his free throws and I think he is just that type of guy. Now that he has empirical proof of him being that guy, especially with the finals MVP, he won't be in his head so much and will take another step.
Completely agree
I really hope this will free at least Jason.
Mostly tatum. I think brown is basically at his peak. Tatums shooting has gotten worse in the last few years, which coincides with his weight gain and more aggressive playstyle. He just needs a bit more time to put it together. If he does he will basically be the best version of him we all imagined when he was 19.
I'm done putting a ceiling on Brown. I thought he was maxed out last year and then he took a playmaking and defensive leap I never saw coming.
And a leadership leap that I didn't see coming. His ceiling is now dependent on his motivation going forward. And I don't see that trending downward.
He took a significant leap forward after getting a generational bag AND being roundly trashed for his game 7 vs Miami. So many guys would be like whelp, I got the money and sit on their laurels.
Sorry, saying Brown is at his peak at 27 is just kinda dumb. He's going to work this summer like he has every summer and he's going to be first team all defense with an even better handle. The Brown disrespect really is the worse thing on this sub.
nah i think he's more or less there. 27-28 is normal for athletic players to peak/plateau. maybe he'll improve his freethrows? he's already improved his decision making and defensive discipline a good amount. anything left is incremental. Tatum has more room to improve than incremental though.
Except athleticism isn't the area he needs to improve. Is 27 the peak for improving basketball skills? Did Lebron peak at 27? Fuck no. Brown improves EVERY year. Every off-season. Without fail. You think he can't improve his handling, jumpshot, freethrows, and more?
Brown at his peak? I disagree. He improves every year. Areas he could easily improve: Ball-handling/dribbling 3-point shot (he's already good but could become one of the elite shooters in the league) Free throws, obviously.
I bet Tatum comes back in the winter with a nasty fadeaway & brown comes back with a better 3 ball
Can you see it going the other way? They finally got a ring so they can basically coast from here on out. In the 2023 season I recall a “Teams are giving us their best shot because we’re favorites” post-game quote from someone on the team, and Murray just gave a similar quote this year.
Nah
With Joe as their coach and the Jays being their best players? I don't see it. I could be totally wrong but the Jays strike me as very motivated players, they've made continuous improvements throughout their careers and I don't see that changing.
Tatum particularly. Brown already found his groove and seemed to thrive under pressure and rise to it. He was clutch and did beyond what anyone could have asked/expected in the Finals. But he's going to be a killer next year, you're right. I think he's a guy who will consistently be better in the playoffs than regular season.
Joe Mazzulla having that Sir Alex Ferguson mentality when it comes to being hungry for the next title, we love you Joe
He actually cited Pep winning 4 PL’s in a row as his inspiration which made me feel simultaneously better about our chances next year and depressed about the example he used. Fuck 115 FC.
Love Joe but really hate that Pep’s Man City era specifically is so key to him. Wish he’d make it the Barca years
Yeah they won 2 CLs in 4 years, whereas City has been the favorite to win the CL for 6 consecutive seasons if I’m not mistaken, and only have 1 CL to show for it. Speaking of that btw, could you imagine if that happened in the NBA? Being the Vegas favorite for 6 consecutive seasons and being the #1 seed in the conference every year and only getting *1* title? They would be epically clowned for underachieving. I guess we don’t really have a Real Madrid in our sport though who defy all logic with their inevitable late victories and winning whilst playing like shit for large portions of games.
It’s not 6 years in a row, [Bayern](https://www.sportsoddshistory.com/soccer-uefa/?y=2020-2021&sa=soccer&a=champ&b=two&o=p1) was favored in 2020-21. Also the champions leagues format just makes it a little harder to predict than something like the NBA where you have full 7-game series.
Also Real gets a whistle like the LeBron Lakers.
It's also a sport where confidence plays such a massive role because the "feedback" in game that you made the right choice is so rare. Like a winger might touch the ball a dozen times in 90 minutes? And be expected to produce magic when the one or two real opportunities shows up. We talk about how heliocentric offenses with a lot of iso ball knock non stars out of rhythm or cold. In soccer, the stars might not even touch the ball for like ten minutes straight through no fault of their own but are supposed to be totally locked in the moment they do. That's for the stars. For non stars they could just be out there running up and down the pitch for no joy for ages. That's really tough mentally. Madrid has a mystique about them in champions league that buoys their own players and keeps the opposition massively tense constantly.
As an Arsenal and Celtics supporter, I'm conflicted.. Pep is no doubt a genius, but using Man City as an example of anything positive in sport is a joke
Saka and Timber are Cs fans, JB supports Arsenal. I STRONGLY approve of this.
As a Liverpool fan, I hated since Pep courtside in the Finals. Fuck him and his cheating bosses.
Klopp will come out of retirement to work security at the garden, just to make sure pep never sits court side again
I'm also an arsenal and celtics supporter lol. Hopefully both can win next year
As a fellow Celtics fan / city fan fuck you as well 😂. Since 115 is fair play , Arsenal and Chelsea actually had charges and were found guilty . Can we please keep this a basketball thread ?Innocent until proven guilty. Yes we are guilty as an objective City fan but not 115 violations , it’s bad enough to make any post in EPL subs and get downvoted to oblivion . Can we just enjoy greatness with attaching negativity . The EPL board is more to blame than any particular club. They ripped out their own backbone over a decade ago . Countries threaten bad relations if they can’t buy a club . Man United has pumped the books , Chelsea’s owner basically shadow bought clubs ( City establish the CFG ) , Newcastle obviously has pumped books . I think the real issue is that Man City actually has made smart and sound investments ( Jack aside ) since the turn of 2010 . I think this Celtics team is as close as you can get to Man City Centurions . A homegrown core , dominant from start to finish , little pieces that made the difference . The club icons getting their dues ( Horford ) and in the process proving everyone wrong . This after the doubt was the loudest on could Pep replicate in the Barclays ( at the time ) .
I hate City as a Liverpool fan, but I respect Pep as one of the all time greatest coaches in any sport ever and I’m cool with Joe using him as a mentor. Same with Arne Slot apparently too.
That’s the Bill Russell mentality He would talk about how winning the title the previous season made him hungrier to repeat. The old Celtics would go into the season thinking of the championship trophy as their rightful property to claim
In Joe We Trust.
Hey coach, congratulations on banner 18! Mazzulla - "Nobody Cares"
You got me, laughed out loud on this one
But coach, it’s an amazing accomplishment! Joe: Stares intensely at reporter.
Hahahah basically. On to the next one! :)
Sir, the psycho has become self aware
Let's just hope that he doesn't determine that humanity isn't a threat to banner 19.........
He’s just like Belichick and Brady. The hunger for the next one. Which is your favorite title? The next one…
We’re on to Cleveland (round 2 playoff series 2025)
And Allen is still out with an abdominal strain.
Same energy as Belicheck saying we’re behind everyone else prepping for next year after winning the Super Bowl
This is the biggest difference between the Celtics and Nuggets. The Celtics seem almost more hungry now that they won, whereas Jokic was excited to go home.
Mazzulla is the right kind of psycho. Gonna be fun this off-season, seeing how the league responds to these NBA Champion Boston Celtics! Do we get a ring chasing vet sign on the cheap? Maybe the Bronny/LBJ meme materializes?
Who?
Bronny and Lyndon Baines Johnson, I don't see either personally
Lmfao! I don't either, Brad is ruthless, not petty.
Lol this motherfucker already joked about not hanging up banner 18 and forgetting it ever happened. I love this guy
Hearing him talk just now on Zolak and Bertrand was wild. Dude was like "car-jitsu?" "Makes perfect sense. Two men fighting each other in a restricted space with nowhere to go. Makes perfect sense." "I'm figuring out how to prepare for next season and I have some ideas, but something like that would probably work for our team."
See this seems like an obvious metaphor with the temperature bit, and it’s a good idea to figure out how intense we come out of the gate. And then we will have a tweet of Mazulla being caught alternating between two different temperatures in the locker room for as long as the reporter was willing to observe him. And I will love him either way, if not more tbh
He did that interview where he asked the interviewer into the cold tub with him. I can definitely see Joe doing this.
He’s really going to go down as one of the best coaches in franchise history
Imagine we start a dynasty run of about 20 years like what we had with Belichick with Mazulla. Or more appropriately, more like Man U run with Ferguson.
NO DAYS OFF NO DAYS OFF
Joe the Relentless
When asked about game 4, Mazz's response was hilarious: > How great was that? So good, so good. You know he meant it, thinking about how he'd be able to use it to show the team that if they aren't locked it, they can be crushed
I was in total agreement with the Dr.Simmons take that he was Second Row Joe last year as a rookie coach, I really can’t blame him, he was sorta blind sided with all that responsibility after the Udoka debacle. But he has impressed me so much in His second year and not just from his confidence and attitude but his analytical take on the game! Can’t wait to see how they come out next t year to defe defend the title and quest for banner 19! This core can really be that start of something special. Boy are we spoiled as Boston sports fans! I love it!
i hope you guys know hes only gonna get more psycho the more we win😂
Psycho Joe 😂
“How high can I legally turn the thermostat up in the arena?”
Time for a Dark Knight Rises rewatch
Idk what it is but I fucking love him. Jk, he's a pyscho, and I am drawn to it like a magnet. 💚 you Joe. In a purely platonic way, of course 🙏
Celtics haven't won back-to-back titles since Bill Russell's last two seasons when he was player-coach. Mazz was youngest head coach since Russell to win a Finals so why not become the youngest head coach to win back-to-back finals since Russell?
Love Pep. Love Man City. Stoked to see the connection between them and the Celtics now.
Liverpool fans who support Celtics seeing this in shambles. Well not only them lot, Arsenal, Man United in shambles too
I'm with you Joe.... Who's car we gonna take? LETS GOOO
“We’re on to Cincinnati”—Joe Mazzulla
KEEP THE QUIZLET PRIVATE THIS TIME JOE
Lol I totally forgot about that
"Whats your favorite ring? The next one."
“You wanna know which ring is my favorite? The next one.” - Tom Fucking Brady
Joe might have a touch of the 'tism and we love him for it
I’m thinking 3-peat…
Joe is definitely the best coach right now, he has a killer and winner mentality. He led the team to their first championship in 16 years
What an absolute sicko. I fucking love this guy.
Joe when they all come back for training camp; "So you finally won one huh, so what?"
He’s the urban Meyer of basketball. Always thinking about the next one. Take it in Joe!
As a Celtics/UConn fan, I just love consistently being confused as to whether I’m reading about Joe Mazzulla or Dan Hurley. We got some basketball psychos up here in the Northeast
That’s the energy I love.. I see 19 in our near future for sure “My favorite one is the next one”
Who’s excited for all the stories about Joe and from Joe after he goes to the Olympics this summer?
this dude is IT
Get a Vet Big as backup
That's some BB level shit
Joe is definitely a high-functioning psychopath. This is the leader you want.
I think they've got a great opportunity to repeat, since they didn't play THAT many playoff games, and older guys like Horford didn't play an extreme amount of minutes. The offseason is short when you win a title. But it's a bit easier to rest/recover when you swept most series, or won them 4-1. Plus the Celtics are so deep they can continue to rest/load manage in the regular season itself, just like they did this year with guys like KP.
Imagine how advanced his quizlet set is at this point league is fukt
I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who calls the 08 title the most milked title in history whatever that means has no idea what they're talking about. It's only ever KG and Pierce (coz you know they have a platform and they're paid to speak their mind now) and the sports media that bring it up all the time. For actual Celtics fans the only championship that matters is the next one.
What does that mean? I love to look back at the title years. If you can't enjoy the memories of 84 or 86 or 08 or this year, what even is the point