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Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, a finalist for the NBA Coach of the Year award, has called it a 'stupid award.' Despite his modesty, Celtics players believe he deserves the honor after leading the team to a 56-26 record and the No. 2 seed in the East.
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BOSTON â Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has deflected most questions when it comes to the NBAâs Coach of the Year award. Heâs a finalist for the annual honor, along with the Pistonsâ J.B. Bickerstaff and the Spursâ Mitch Johnson. Mazzulla has even gone as far as to call it a âstupid awardâ earlier this season.
The Câs went 56-26 on the season, surpassing âgap yearâ expectations to earn the Eastâs No. 2 seed. Mazzulla was a huge part of that, though he points out he didnât make a bucket and all the praise should go to the players. But the Celtics themselves believe Mazzulla should win the award.
âI donât think heâs changed much since I met him, and I that he doesnât like the attention on him and making it about himself,â Derrick White said. âObviously heâs done an amazing job this year, and when he wins, it would definitely be well-deserved.â
Payton Pritchard pointed out how Mazzulla sets the standard for the organization, then everyone follows his lead. So even though he isnât necessarily scoring or putting his body on the line like the players, Mazzulla and his staff are still crucial to Bostonâs success this season.
Celtics players believe Mazzulla has done an amazing job this season, setting a standard for the organization and contributing significantly to their success.
Joe Mazzulla has referred to the Coach of the Year award as a 'stupid award' and prefers to deflect attention away from himself.
The Celtics finished the season with a record of 56-26, earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The other finalists for the NBA Coach of the Year award are J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons and Mitch Johnson of the Spurs.

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Mazzulla also gave a different interpretation of the award compared to other times heâs spoken about it. Instead of dismissing it altogether like he did earlier, Mazzulla spoke about how he wants the league to change it up.
âI would like to see that changed to staff or organization, for sure,â Mazzulla said. âI think those things are important. I think if it was Staff of the Year, itâs different, if itâs Organization of the Year. But at the end of the day, I havenât made one basket all year. Our staff hasnât made a basket. We havenât got a block. We havenât ran back on defense. We didnât play a back-to-back. We didnât have to play hurt.â
Even if Mazzulla doesnât win the award, itâs clear heâs one of the best coaches in the NBA. He led the Câs to the 2024 NBA title in his second full season. But his work this year has impressed, guiding the Celtics to a top-2 seed in the playoffs despite an overhauled roster and no Jayson Tatum for the majority of the season.
âEverybody just comes in and it doesnât matter if itâs training staff, weight room,â Pritchard said. âEverybody knows their job and they come in on a high level and they produce every day. Even like the player development staff, theyâre on-court probably more than us working their butt off. It definitely starts with Joe and the expectations he has and the standard that he holds people to.â
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