BOSTON – Joe Mazzulla is not one to bask in the glory of personal accomplishments. Not even when he made coaching history Monday night in becoming just the third first-year head coach in the last 24 years to earn a head-coaching role for the All-Star Game.
Mazzulla officially secured the position after Philadelphia’s loss to Orlando Monday night, which guaranteed the Celtics to have the best record in the Eastern Conference through Feb. 5, the deadline for when All-Star coaches are to be determined. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment, considering the fact that he’s the youngest head coach in the NBA and also that he was an assistant coach sitting in the second row of Boston’s bench just one year ago.
However, the 34-year-old diverted all recognition to the rest of his roster ahead of Tuesday’s practice.
“It's more of a testament to the players and to the staff,” said Mazzulla, who will be the first Celtics coach to lead an All-Star team since Brad Stevens in 2017. “The staff, as hard as they work on scouting and preparation and the relationships that they build with the players. So it's a testament to the staff and then the players have to play the games and they have to win. And so I'm blessed that we have guys that work at it and I appreciate their support for our staff and for our organization. But they don't win the games and play as hard as they played, we’re not in this situation. So thank you to both of them.”
Although Mazzulla concealed any personal excitement he was feeling, Marcus Smart assured the media that Mazzulla is thrilled for the opportunity to coach Team Giannis and whatever grouping of stars he winds up leading.
“Oh, he’s definitely pumped about it,” said Smart, who is still working his way back from a sprained ankle. “I mean, first time being a head coach and you go to coach the All-Star Game, I don’t see how you’d not be excited. But that’s just Joe. He does a good job of hiding his enthusiasm for certain things and other times, he lets you know.”
Smart didn’t hide his enthusiasm for the fantastic job Mazzulla has done throughout the first half of the season. He pointed out how challenging of a situation the New England native was thrown into, having to take over the team on the eve of training camp and being asked to lead them through the adversity of their sudden head-coaching change.
“We’re just extremely proud of Joe for everything and how him and the rest of this team and coaching staff has responded to everything we’ve been through this season,” Smart said. “We tip our hat off to those guys.”
Smart also tipped his hat off to Mazzulla for the way he has carried himself throughout the team’s success, maintaining a level-headed approach through the highs and the lows. His reaction, or lack thereof, to his personal success reflected in the All-Star recognition was a perfect example.
“It’s just the humble mentality that we have,” said Smart. “We got a lot of great guys, from coaches and players, that could sit here and boast about themselves about everything they’ve accomplished and things like that, but that’s not us. We love each other, and we let all the outside noise do the talking for us. But it definitely means something to Joe, and it means a lot to us for him to do it. Joe’s been through a lot. He stepped into a situation that wasn’t ideal for anybody, and he strived and exceeded, I’m sure, a lot of expectations, so we’re happy for him.”