After a 15-year hiatus, history has once again been created! By securing a 4-1 record during the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics recently secured their 18th championship title. With this feat, the franchise has now overtaken the Los Angeles Lakers (17) to become the most successful team in terms of championship wins. The same wouldn’t have been possible without the effort of Jayson Tatum, the Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, and other star players. However, another individual whose contribution cannot go unnoticed is head coach Joe Mazzulla. By securing a championship win in his first full season as Celtics HC, the 35-year-old has undoubtedly added a significant achievement to his resume.

During the aftermath of his team’s Game 5 win, Joe Mazzulla took some time out to engage in a Q&A session with ESPN’s Michael Eaves. During the conversation, the sportscaster proceeded to ask the head coach about his plans during the post-season. Instead of making the city of Boston his own and spending the next few days celebrating like his players, Mazzulla revealed that he first and foremost plans to undergo knee surgery. Surprisingly, he won’t be undertaking the procedure to treat a recent ailment, but something that has been bothering him for the past three months.

“I tore my meniscus in March when we lost to Atlanta,” Mazzulla revealed. The coach highlighted that while he could have undertaken the option to treat the injury earlier, the ‘fighting mentality’ possessed by him and his roster told him to continue and keep him focused. He later stated, “Everybody’s hurt this time of year. It’s the playoffs. So, we were able to work through it together, and I got to get back on the mats, hopefully, in the next 3 to 5 months”.

The Celtics faced off against the Atlanta Hawks on the 26th and the 29th of March. This means the left meniscus has been bothering the head coach for over ten weeks. The ailment is something that NBA players often develop during the regular season. Since surgery is the opted way to treat the same, it forces the athletes to miss out on a significant number of games while they recover. Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns was absent from the main lineup for over a month after he underwent surgery to treat a left knee lateral meniscus tear. Since the Celtics were set to enter the playoffs by the end of April, the head coach probably could not allow himself to be absent at a time when his team needed him the most.

Joe Mazzulla’s patience while suffering from this horrid agony finally paid off. At the age of 35 years and 11 months, he has become the 6th youngest-ever NBA coach to win a championship title for his team, surpassing the earlier record set by legendary Lakers coach Pat Riley.

Joe Mazzulla appreciates his players for setting the tone

Joe Mazzulla’s recent revelation about his leg injury only increases the praise that one would hold for the recently crowned NBA Champion. However, if you ever get the chance to praise him for the Celtics’ win to his face, he may end up undermining his contribution in favor of his roster.

When discussing the Celtics’ victory, the 35-year-old said he could only take credit for standing “out of the way.” Mazzulla highlighted his belief that when a coach leads a team that is filled with players who are either too talented, have an abundance of experience to their name, and/or have already improved under the tutelage of other great coaches, then all that one can do is facilitate.

“You have to allow the guys to set the temperature of the organization on a daily basis, and then you just have to facilitate and fill in the gaps from time to time, depending on where people are at,” said the Celtics head coach. “If your team doesn’t set the tone, if they don’t set the temperature of the building every day, it doesn’t really matter who’s coaching.”

Some players have only stayed with the Celtics throughout their NBA career. Others, like Jrue Holiday, have learned under greats like Mike Budenholzer, Rick Carlisle, etc. A couple of hours ago, Joe Mazzulla joined the ranks of the same greats! Someday, a head coach will have the privilege of saying that he can’t teach a player anything more since he already learned enough from the Celtics legend.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.