Getty Joe Mazzulla became the fourth-fastest NBA coach to reach 100 career wins.
The Boston Celtics enter All-Star Weekend on a strong note. The Celtics emphatically beat the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, February 14, winning 136-86, and heading into the break with an NBA-best record of 43-12, good enough for a six-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
The win was also the 100th in head coach Joe Mazzulla’s young career. The Celtics coach was thrown into action at the beginning of last season when the team suspended Ime Udoka for violating team rules. Mazzulla guided the Celtics to Game 7 of the conference finals in 2023 and is off to another terrific start this year, although he said there were plenty who played a part in those 100 wins of his career.
Joe Mazzulla Dishes Out Plenty of Credit After 100th Victory
Joe Mazzulla on 100th win: “I think it’s something to be proud of… it’s just a testament to the people you have around you”
Mazzulla’s milestone win was never in doubt. Playing the Nets on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Celtics wasted no time in showing Brooklyn who’s boss. Boston raced out to a 68-32 halftime lead and pulled out the 50-point win.
The oft-criticized Mazzulla became the fourth-fastest coach to reach 100 career victories. Only Steve Kerr, Tom Thibodeau, and Avery Johnson reached the century mark faster.
Mazzulla said he’s grateful, but he also said it’s more of a testament to the people around him.
“It’s something to be proud of,” he said postgame. “It’s something to be grateful for and it’s just a testament to the people you have around you.
“I think in a business of where individual success is highly talked about on a nightly basis like the box scores and stuff like that, to have a group of people that you can share in your success with is important. Really, it starts with the players and I always tell them I can’t be who I am if they don’t let me, and I appreciate that.
“It’s a gift in coaching. You can always be in a situation to where you don’t have empowerment or you don’t have guys that allow you to be yourself. It’s an important gift that the players give me and they give it to each other, so I’m grateful for that.”
Pressure Remains on Mazzulla and the Celtics
Mazzulla has taken some heat from Celtics fans during his two successful seasons, and there could be more on the horizon if the Celtics fall short like last season. The Celtics are built to win now.
Team president Brad Stevens brought in veterans Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to reshape the organization and give Boston arguably the best starting five in the NBA. Mazzulla and the Celtics, however, have to find a way to carry success into the postseason and make a return trip to the NBA Finals. Boston has been close but hasn’t hoisted a championship banner since 2008.
“Until the playoffs, you don’t know,” said basketball analyst Jeff Goodman on the “Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast.” “Joe Mazzulla is going to be judged squarely on how they do in the playoffs. You can win a million games in the regular season.”
By all accounts, the players love playing for Mazzulla. They are the favorites to win the NBA championship this season, but if they come up empty once again, Mazzulla and the Celtics will be faced with another level of criticism.