The Boston Celtics were the first to stamp their footsteps in the NBA Finals. The Jayson Taum-led Celtics mutilated the Mavericks by 18 points. It was their eighth win in a row, a postseason record for the 17-time champions. While their star-studded lineup deserves credit, Joe Mazzulla is the true orchestrator, finely managing the players and rotations.

As only a second-year head coach, Mazzulla is the youngest coach to ever make it to the NBA Finals. He is only 35, matching another franchise legend, Bill Russell for the shared accolade. He is quick on his feet and efficiently runs a seamless offense attributing to Boston’s supreme three-point shooting. But where does his expertise and man management skills come from?

Yes, he spent time on the sidelines as an assistant coach but breakdowns at such a high level require some degree of simulation. Joe Mazzulla too played years of basketball before switching to becoming an NBA coach. But did he play in the NBA?

Joe Mazzulla never played in the NBA

Mazzulla was born to father Dan Mazzulla, a well-renowned basketball coach. From his young days, he was exposed to X’s and O’s of the sport. As he absorbed it all, the 35-year-old made a push for his dream to play basketball professionally. At the high school level when representing Bishop Hendricken High School, he won two Rhode Island Gatorade Player of The Season honors.

He committed to playing for West Virginia, a career that would last five whole seasons. The highlight of his career arrived in his sophomore season. Mazzulla led Virginia to an emphatic upset win over Duke, who are five-time state champions. In 2011, he declared for the NBA draft in hopes of getting selected by a team.

Unfortunately, his phone didn’t stay busy during the process. For years after that, he tried to stay patient and wait for opportunities to arrive. Once they didn’t he finally began coaching. Having watched and grasped the role of a head coach from his father, he carried an impressive resume till he coached several colleges.

His praise-worthy performances saw the Boston Celtics notice his innate talents and offer him an assistant coach job. He hed it for three seasons before being bestowed with the head coaching job last season due to the firing of Ime Udoke. In his debut stint, he was a finalist to win Coach of The Year. The Celtics had the second-best record in the East.

One year later, he has driven the Shamrocks to another NBA Finals appearance and set the tone with a domineering collapse of the Mavericks. Joe Mazzulla may not have played NBA-level basketball, but his genius and tactics translate to the game flawlessly. That only comes with sheer hard work and meticulous study of the game.

Can he lead the Celtics to a maiden championship? Let us know your views in the comments below. Also, if you want to watch Shaq’s former agent Leonard Armato expand on the colossal impact of Caitlin Clark, watch this video below.