Getty CJ McCollum, Boston Celtics
On January 11, the Boston Celtics overcame the New Orleans Pelicans in a 125-114 victory, courtesy of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combining for 72 points.
When speaking to the media following the game, Pelicans stat CJ McCollum credited Boston’s hunger for success, noting that they have a championship-caliber team that’s brimming with talent across the board.
“That’s a championship-caliber team; they’re battled tested. They got a lot of different weapons; obviously, they’ve got two-headed monsters, but then they’ve got Malcolm Brogdon. They’ve got shooters all around them. White can shoot the ball. Horford can shoot the ball. (Grant) Williams can shoot it. So, they got a lot of different weapons that can hurt you,” CJ McCollum said, “They got a taste of a potential championship, right? So, I think that’s the greed, that’s the hunger in them now to try to get back to that point.”
The Celtics moved to 30-12 on the season with their latest victory and will be hoping to keep their excellent run of form going as they move into the second half of the season and begin to dream of a second straight deep playoff run which they hope will take them back to the NBA Finals.
Joe Mazzulla Heaps Praise on Celtics Star Duo
Throughout their tenure in Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have faced questions regarding their ability to play together on a championship-caliber team – something which they’re clearly answering this season.
When speaking to the media following the game, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla heaped praise on his team’s star duo while noting that they’re playing the game the right way on both sides of the floor.
“We’re top 5 in offense, top 5 in defense, top 5 in assisted field goals made percentage. So, they shoot, they pass, they score, they play defense, that’s how I handle, they do a good job of doing that together,” Mazzulla said.
Robert Williams Reveals Mazzulla’s Confrontational Side
During a January 11 exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg, Robert Williams revealed that Mazzulla has a confrontational side to him and credited that as a big reason why the Celtics have found so much success throughout the first half of the season.
“Joe is confrontational, man. He helped us build that urge to be able to listen to one another. He addresses all elephants in the room as soon as he enters the room. We need that. You know what I’m saying? We need a coach that will lead like that. It’s easy to follow someone like that…Joe will snap. He will snap on you for sure,” Williams said.