Became the youngest coach (at age 35) to reach an NBA final since Bill Russell (as coach/player) in 1969, Joe Mazzulla now prepares the Celtics for this series against the Mavericks. If this is a first as head coach, Joe Mazzulla was already present as an assistant to Ime Udoka in 2022 against the Warriors.
At the time, the current Celtics coach took notes on the failure against Stephen Curry's tape.
“What I learned is that there is nothing different to win in the regular season and in the playoffs,” explains the Celtics coach. “There are three or four possessions that could completely change the story. At a certain point, everyone will always put aside the possessions that could have gone wrong and turn to everything that worked. And then when you lose, everyone ignores the good things you did and talks about all the things you could have done better. »
The luck factor, an important part of success
To succeed in the playoffs, you also need success and luck, and Joe Mazzulla does not hide it, because the story could be different with these few actions.
“What separates a win from a loss is obviously mindset, toughness and execution, but things also have to go your way,” continues Mazzulla. “If Jimmy Butler had hit his 3-pointer two years ago, maybe we wouldn't have gone to the Finals. Everyone always forgets the five to ten actions that can really change everything. »
Success always favors champions and Joe Mazzulla illustrates this with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, recent winners of the Premier League and from whom he often draws inspiration.
“Look at when Manchester City won their fourth Premier League title in a row. A player (from Tottenham, on the penultimate day of the Premier League) went to goal alone and he was stopped by the substitute goalkeeper, and then they ended up winning,” he recalls. “When you win, everyone congratulates you, and when you lose, everyone criticizes you. In reality, there are about ten possessions that separate you, and some of them have to go your way. »
