Joe Mazzulla’s latest monologue proves why people were so wrong about him

When Joe Mazzulla took over as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, questions immediately came pouring in. At the time, the only experience he had in the NBA was in the second row behind Brad Stevens and Ime Udoka, but just as the Celtics were coming off their first Finals appearance in over a decade, he was thrust into the top spot. And at their first signs of disappointment, blame was cast onto him.

People were discussing whether or not he should be fired after Boston’s brutal loss to the Miami Heat in 2023. But as is the case with most rookies, Mazzulla just needed time. Time to develop his skills. Time to gain the trust of the team. But most importantly, time to implement his style of leadership.

Since then, he’s blossomed into one of the most unique (and impressive) coaches in the NBA.

Mazzulla's 'pressure' speech has shades of Gregg Popovich

After Celtics practice on Monday, Mazzulla was asked about the pressure on the team heading into the 2024-25 season. But he doesn’t see it as pressure, and the monologue he delivered rivals those of San Antonio Spurs coach and legend Gregg Popovich.

“I just don’t look at it as pressure,” Mazzulla said. “Because a Boston media member or somebody expecting me— Like they don’t have a weapon. They’re not going to come after me if they don’t win. They’re just saying words. They don’t mean anything. They’re just words. You’re just saying them because you have to say them. You’re contractually obligated to write a 500-word article after. They’re just words. You can’t do anything. And so, it’s just a made-up word. We don’t have a pressure. If we lose, we’re not losing our life. Like, we’re not surgeons, we’re not in the military, we coach basketball for a living. And nobody is putting more pressure and expectations [on us] than we are on ourselves. 

“We have a responsibility, and we have an ownership. I ask guys all the time, ‘Would you have someone expect you to lose or win?’ Like, if you came up to me and said, ‘Man, I really expected you to lose that game,’ I would be pissed. But it’s like, you come up and say, ‘You should have won that game.’ It’s like, yeah, that’s what we signed up for. And so, I think it’s just the perspective of how you look at it and the truth of it.”

But Mazzulla wasn’t done there. Directly afterward, Mazzulla was presented with the phrase, ‘Words have power.’ He disagrees. 

“No, they don’t,” Mazzulla said. “[Only] if you let them. Like, if you allow words to take your personal power, then yes. So, I don’t allow words to take my personal power. That’s just important. They only have power if you allow them to. And that’s what I try to teach my kids. I don’t give a s*** what someone says to you. Did you allow that to have an impact on you? He didn’t put his hands on you. He didn’t touch you. He didn’t do anything to you. Now, you have a choice to decide how you’re going to interpret that. 

“So, it’s not pressure. There’s nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that’s going to impact my identity and who I am as a person and a coach. We’re either going to win, or we’re not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral. That’s it.”

The season hasn’t even started yet, and Mazzulla is talking about the imminent outcome of death. That’s how you know it’s time for basketball.

But seriously, this is the type of perspective that makes Mazzulla such an incredible coach.

Time and time again, players on the Celtics have spoken about the joy of treating basketball like a business. They don’t take work home with them. They play the game to win, and when they leave TD Garden or the Auerbach Center, they get to be a human. That’s the culture Mazzulla has created.

At the first sign of failure under his leadership, people were quick to judge his ability to coach. His ability to call timeouts, call plays, and put the team in the best position to succeed.

In reality, while he’s proven to be great at all of those things, his most valuable asset had nothing to do with basketball. It’s his ability to separate the game from life.

Mazzulla loves the game, but he understands that there’s more to life than basketball, and that’s exactly what makes him (and the Celtics) so great.