Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Takes Dig at ‘Heat Culture’

Getty Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat wing Max Strus.

“Heat Culture” has been a staple in the Miami Heat‘s success over the last decade or so. Udonis Haslem described it as “discipline, accountability, work ethic and enjoying somebody else’s success,” during a 2021 interview with GQ Magazine.

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the famous mindset within Miami’s organization, during Tuesday’s practice at the Auerbach Center. His response was interesting, he downplayed the mystique around “Heat Culture,” explaining that “everybody has a culture.”

“I mean everybody has a culture,” Mazzulla said via the CLNS Media Boston Sports Network YouTube channel. “I think we have ours as well. Both teams have shown that they’re able to get through good times and bad. And that says a lot about the players in the organization, more than anything.”

The culture in Miami has been key to what they’ve been able to accomplish in recent years. They’ve been able to make the most out of limited resources, not relying on high draft picks to be successful. Instead, the Heat have found ways to play winning basketball with a bundle of undrafted talent.

Players like Duncan Robinson and Gabe Vincent have been so important to the team’s current playoff run, both after being overlooked on draft night.

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Speaks on Heat’s Erik Spoelstra

Another key component of Miami’s winning ways is head coach Erik Spoelstra. Spoelstra has been with the team since 1997, first starting in the film room. In 2008, he stepped into the head coaching role and has been there ever since.

Boston’s man in charge had some praise for Spoelstra, when he was prompted on the task of matching up with one of the leagues longest tenured coaches as a rookie on the job.

“He just has a lot of experience,” Mazzulla said of Spoelstra. “He’s coached a lot of great players. He does a great job throughout a series of finding small ways to adjust on both ends of the floor. So we have to bring an open mind and we have gotta be ready to stay connected and do some different things, which I thought was good for us in Games 6 and 7 in Philly. We gotta take the same open-mindedness, connectivity, and physicality into this series.”

Joe Mazzulla Says Heat’s Jimmy Butler ‘Plays With a Great Mindset’

Leading the way all spring for Miami has been Jimmy Butler. The 33-year-old has taken his game to another level in the playoffs, averaging a career-high 31.1 points per game, while shooting 52.7% from the field and 36.1% from deep.

Reporters asked Mazzulla about how Butler differs from the other stars Boston has had to square off against this postseason. He replied by citing his “great mindset.”

“Yeah he’s a great player,” Mazzulla said of Butler. “He plays with a great mindset. It’s the same thing in every series. We’re playing against great players in the playoffs. At the end of the day it comes down to the type of mindset, the approach we have, the physicality that we play with, and the details that we play with.”

Mazzulla’s Celtics will host the Heat for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.