Joe Mazzulla sounds overjoyed after Xavier Tillman, Boston Celtics bench down Kings

Joe Mazzulla has been a happy man all season because of the play of not just his world-beating Boston Celtics starting lineup, but also because his second unit has proven capable of carrying the load when the first five are sitting out.

After Xavier Tillman played the hero against the Sacramento Kings on April 5, hitting the game-winning shot in the paint to lift the Cs to a 101-100 win, Mazzulla called the season "fun" and "awesome"; something most Celtics fans wouldn't dispute in the slightest.

"This is fun. This is awesome. Couldn’t simulate a better environment of stress, pressure, chaos," Mazzulla said (h/t NBC Sports Boston). "It’s a perfect environment to execute. So, that’s why when those guys are in, you hold them to the same standard that you hold everybody else to. I thought they did a great job just making plays. … I thought it was a perfect environment for practice.”

Tillman gave props to his teammates and offered a special shoutout to Payton Pritchard, who dropped 21 points in the win.

“It was pretty cool, especially for us to really battle with them coming back and have the mental fortitude to not kind of get into it and to stay solid mentally and everybody keeps their composure,” Tillman said (h/t MassLive). “Shoutout to Payton (Pritchard), he was holding us down with that and talking to us and keeping us cool, calm and relaxed.”

Boston Celtics getting contributions from everyone at the right time

You couldn't script better timing than what the Celtics have right now from all sides. The starters aren't quitting on the fans, and the bench is actively making sure the winning culture is upheld. Right before the postseason.

Mazzulla's coaching job this season has been stellar as his personality has shined more in his second season -- and the first he was planned to be the head coach from the start. Things were awkward in year one dealing with the blowback of Ime Udoka's suspension and eventual firing, but now the chemistry couldn't be better.

These playoffs should hopefully be as fun as the regular season was.