Joe Mazzulla constantly refers to Manchester City and especially to Pep Guardiola, “the greatest coach, all sports combined” to his eyes. A few months ago, the Celtics coach already went to meet the Citizens coach, in order to discuss their respective playing philosophies.
“For me, this is the very essence of basketball and the counter-attack in football”explained Joe Mazzulla about continuous movement on a field. “So I study Man City a lot. I study Pep a lot. He is the best coach, regardless of the level, and in all sports. He had a huge influence (on me).”
For Joe Mazzulla, it is therefore essential to consider basketball in its entirety, as in football.
“Everyone tries to divide basketball into offense and defense, but it’s one sport. If your defensive fallback is zero, everyone will only talk about defense. But it's your spacing, your decision-making and your shot selection that matters, and that gives transition defense. I think the difference between basketball and football is the speed of transitions.” he explained. “You can be on offense and two seconds later you can be on defense. The game is therefore constantly evolving. »
Moreover, while he was preparing for his first NBA Finals as head coach, the Celtics coach received a visit from his idol. Pep Guardiola, now on vacation after Manchester City's fourth consecutive Premier League title, was seen at Boston training yesterday in deep discussion with Joe Mazzulla.
Joe Mazzulla is talking to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Intimate conversation. Mazzulla spoke about studying other sports and applying it to pic.twitter.com/K92xtzCVL2
— Morey Hershgordon (@MHershgordon) June 5, 2024
