Joe Mazzulla acknowledges pressure he faces with Boston Celtics these playoffs

Joe Mazzulla has led the Boston Celtics to unprecedented heights during the 2023-24 regular season, overseeing a system that has produced one of the top net ratings of any team ever in his first campaign that had a proper training camp before it.

But coaches aren't measured in Boston by regular season results. All these wins may actually make a postseason elimination more painful for Celtics fans if the unthinkable happens this offseason and the barely-plus money Cs don't end up with a championship; or even get to the Finals.

Mazzulla feels that pressure, admitting that he thinks about it everyday and uses it as motivation to succeed on and off the court.

"Yeah, there's pressure," Mazzulla said (h/t NBC Sports Boston). "I put it on myself every single day to be the best coach, to win, to be the best husband, to be the best father. Pressure is looked at as something that's like a negative, but in reality, it's just something that's there, and why wouldn't you want that?

"There's pressure, there's expectations, but that will never go away. Like, it's always gonna be there. And that's been the coolest moment about this job, is finding the freedom and the peace and the love and the joy of that pressure."

Boston Celtics face pressure of losing key pieces long-term if they don't make deep playoff run

A six or seven-game series loss against the Denver Nuggets would be good enough reason for Boston to run it back. Anything short of a similar situation could mean the end of the Celtics as we know it.

Jrue Holiday may not be seen as worth it the massive payday coming his way in the offseason if the Cs don't make such a run. There are suitors like the Philadelphia 76ers who will be on his trail in free agency, so there's no guarantee Boston will be the ones to give him his final big payday.

There's unlimited pressure on the Celtics. Good thing Mazzulla knows it.