BOSTON — When the New York Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, it changed the landscape in the Eastern Conference. With Jalen Brunson at the helm, the Knicks are loading up to make a push for right now, disregarding the future. First, it was OG Anunoby. Then Mikal Bridges. Now, Towns. But the Boston Celtics are still sitting atop the league.
In the midst of New York’s push, the Celtics took home the 2024 NBA Championship. They also doubled down on the team that won last year, as Brad Stevens somehow re-signed everyone who was a part of the regular playoff rotation. Now, Boston is gearing up for another title push, and the Knicks are one of their top adversaries.
But the Celtics are still focusing on themselves.
Joe Mazzulla isn't worried about Karl-Anthony Towns
After practice on Sunday, Joe Mazzulla spoke to reporters, sharing his thoughts on the Towns trade. He complimented both Towns and the Knicks but emphasized the importance of Boston keeping their eyes internal.
“I mean, all teams have tried to make roster moves to get better,” Mazzulla said. “Karl-Anthony Towns is a great player. They’re a great team. We got to focus on us, and we got to get better every day.”
Mazzulla has a history of not caring about other teams’ trades. When Pascal Siakam was traded to the Indiana Pacers, Mazzulla interrupted a question to say as much.
"Save yourself the rest of the question—I don't really care,” Mazzulla said.
Obviously, Mazzulla gave a bit more fluff to his response about the Towns deal, but the root of his energy still remained the same: He was apathetic.
Sure, he called Towns a great player and the Knicks a great team, but that was one-third of his answer. Mazzulla was directly asked about the trade, and he spent half his response talking about other topics.
He even took away from the move’s significance a bit, noting that every team in the league is trying to do the same thing. Then, after two sentences about Towns, he brought the conversation back to Boston.
Since taking over as head coach of the Celtics, Mazzulla has put an emphasis on internal development. The Celtics can’t control what other teams do, but they can control how they react.
New York is making a push. They want to win a championship. And even though Boston just secured Banner 18, they want to act like they are back at the bottom. Anything else could lead to stagnation. Mazzulla doesn’t want that.
So, while the Towns trade is huge, and the Knicks are going to look a lot different next year, Mazzulla isn’t worried. He just wants to help the Celtics improve, and everything around them is just outside noise.