The Boston Celtics dropped their third game of the season on Tuesday night, losing to the Atlanta Hawks in their first NBA Cup game of the year. It was a tough showing, especially considering the Hawks were without Trae Young, who has been their offensive lead for the last seven years.
Led by Dyson Daniels, the Hawks out-paced, out-muscled, and out-physicaled the Celtics in every aspect of the game. It was a brutal night, as Boston just felt a step slow on every single play. From turnovers to poor offensive rebounding, this was Boston’s worst game of the season from a sloppiness perspective.
And Joe Mazzulla was not shy about it after the game.
Joe Mazzulla is honest - brutally honest
Following the loss, Mazzulla gave credit to the Hawks with a blunt, honest answer about how the game went.
“They outplayed us in every facet of the game,” Mazzulla said. “ all the margins. They deserved to win.”
There was no sugarcoating what happened. No excuses. No complaining. No workarounds. The Hawks just played better than the Celtics did. It’s not an ideal outcome, but it’s the reality of what happened.
Obviously, Boston doesn’t want to lose any games. But losses happen. Bad losses happen. And this was one of them. But Mazzulla’s response to the loss is exactly what the Celtics need.
They don’t need excuses or someone to tell them about how great they are. But at the same time, they don’t need overreactions.
Mazzulla was brutally honest about the situation, but he wasn’t dramatic. While he didn’t offer any excuses, he also didn’t react as if the season ended on Tuesday night. He wasn’t overly angry, upset, or emotional about the situation. It just is what it is.
That’s what Boston needs. A level head.
It’s what made them such a great team last season and it’s exactly what will make them a great team this season, too.
Games like the Celtics’ ugly loss to the Hawks will happen. And they will be ugly. There is no skating around that fact. But that doesn’t mean the world is ending, and it certainly doesn’t mean Mazzulla or the Celtics should change what has worked for them in the past.
Instead, they need to refocus, recharge, and get back to successfully executing the game plan.
And having Mazzulla around to give them the tough reality of the situation will help them do that all year long.