Meaningless Nuggets series being flipped into crucial Celtics lessons

BRIGHTON — The Boston Celtics are finally back stateside after a week-long trip to the Middle East for a pair of preseason games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi. They swept the two-game series, earning a close victory in the first contest and a blowout win in the second. Regardless, they are ready to learn from it.

Despite winning the NBA Championship last season, Mazzulla has no interest in giving the Celtics a break. He wants them to push forward rather than rest on the success they found last season. To strive for another title rather than defend the one they already won.

Because of that, he’s not taking any games for granted.

Joe Mazzulla is always on, even in the preseason

Though Boston’s games against Denver don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, they mattered to Mazzulla. He saw some things that the Nuggets exposed, and he’s very grateful they did. At practice on Thursday, he effectively thanked them for it.

“There was stuff that Denver exposed,” Mazzulla said. “Just our communication, our reads defensively, and we're grateful for that. We just got to continue to work on those and continue to execute on the offensive end.”

In the two games in Abu Dhabi, both team’s starting units played limited minutes. Neither group played past the first half, Al Horford didn’t play in either contest, and in the second game, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon were sidelined.

Both squads wanted to put the health of their rosters above all else, but that doesn’t mean Mazzulla was going to waste a chance to help his team improve.

No matter what he’s doing, Celtics basketball is always at the forefront of his mind. And even though the two games were nothing more than meaningless preseason contests, Mazzulla kept track of every minute detail that came up.

The Nuggets were the only team in the NBA that Boston failed to beat last season. They were 0-2 against Denver in their two regular-season meetings, and the Nuggets were bounced in the second round of the playoffs.

Boston was by far the best team in basketball last season, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have room for improvement. There is always room for improvement, and Mazzulla knows that.

Despite their early exit last year, the Nuggets were the 2023 NBA Champions for a reason. Nikola Jokic is still the best basketball player on the planet, and while the rest of their roster looks a bit different, they still have enough talent to challenge for a title.

There’s a real chance the Celtics could meet the Nuggets in the Finals, and Mazzulla will be ready. No matter what.