There’s no better quote machine in the NBA currently than the head coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla. Joe has earned a reputation for his intense persona, his acumen for physical combat, and his unintentionally hilarious deadpan responses to questions in interviews.
He was at it again recently as Steph Noh, of the Sporting News, asked him about potentially winning the Coach of the Year Award this season, and what that would mean to him.
In typical Mazzulla fashion, he quickly rattled off the most on-brand reply possible:
"I think it's a stupid award. They shouldn't have it. It's more about the players. It's more about the work that the staff puts in. It's that simple, and I don't ever want to be asked or talk about it again."
This is right in line with his past comments on awards. After he won the Coach of the Month Award, Derrick White said that he called to congratulate Joe and was met with a response of, “Nobody cares.”
Mazzulla second favorite for COTY after Bickerstaff
Whatever Joe thinks of the award and its existence, the reality of the situation is that it’s going to be given out one way or another, and he’s going to be in the mix. He may not want it, but he deserves a ton of credit for the job that he and his staff have done with this team and how much the Celtics have overachieved this season.
According to DraftKings, he’s currently the second favorite to win the award, only trailing the Pistons’ coach, JB Bickerstaff. The Pistons, who haven’t won a playoff series in ages, have blazed a path through the East this season, leading the conference almost wire-to-wire, and heading for homecourt advantage all the way to the Finals.
There’s plenty of healthy debate over Bickerstaff vs. Mazzulla, and some of it comes down to the eye of the beholder and what voters actually value. But it seems like it’s a two-horse race at this point, with those two lapping the field.
Mitch Johnson of the Spurs, Jordan Ott of the Suns, and former Celtics assistant Charles Lee of the Hornets are the next leading candidates, but their odds are significantly behind Mazz and JB. Maybe Joe will win the award, and maybe he won’t. He’s definitely deserving and has a strong case.
He has clearly established himself as one of the best coaches in the league, and as much as he may not like it, I can guarantee this won’t be the last time he’s asked about it.