Celts
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NBA analyst JJ Redick dismissed the Boston radio host's Celtics assessment as “nonsense”
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Why the Celtics must wait greater than every week for the NBA Finals to start
Joe Mazzulla was an assistant under Ime Udoka when the Celtics last reached the Finals in 2022.
He was a part of the Celtics' staff during their playoff run, which included two Game 7 wins over Milwaukee and Miami before Boston lost to Golden State within the championship round in six games.
On Thursday, Mazzulla was asked what he learned this postseason and what he can apply to the Celtics' upcoming season. NBA Finals Look.
“I've learned that there's nothing different in a regular season than there is in a playoff series,” Mazzulla said. “And there are three or four possessions that can completely change a story. So if (Aaron) Nesmith hits that three-pointer from the corner or we don't get a steal, we wouldn't be sitting here.”
“So when you get to a certain place, everyone always ignores the 'what ifs' and always thinks about all the good things we did. And then when you lose, everyone ignores the good things you did and talks about all the things you did, that you did. So what makes you win and lose is obviously toughness, attitude and execution, but things have to go your way too. If Jimmy Butler had got those three points two years ago, maybe we wouldn't have advanced.”
Mazzulla said that sometimes the few plays which have the most important impact after a loss are forgotten and that a team has to get lucky for a few of those plays to work out of their favor.
The Celtics had some lucky moments within the previous round, including Jaylen Brown's 3-pointer to tie the sport in Game 1, Jrue Holiday's steal in Game 3 and Derrick White's game-winning shot in Game 4.
Mazzulla said one in every of the things he liked about Boston's game against Indiana was that they let go of expectations and stayed focused.
“We played with no expectations, no sense of entitlement,” Mazzulla said. “I think we just played with the understanding that even though we're a good team, we have to be the tougher team. I think that's important. I felt like we didn't let anything distract us other than the things that affect winning, all the details and differences.”
“We always talk about the regular season and the playoffs are the same and it's no different heading into the Finals. As you get closer to your goal, it's easy to get distracted and at the end of the day, the differences are the reason you win. The team playing harder, all the little details that go into it. I think we appreciated that. I felt like we were great on defense when we needed to be and we just fought to stick together and make winning plays. So we just have to fight to keep that going.”
The Celtics had the NBA's best record within the regular season and went 12-2 within the postseason. They are 4 wins away from their goal of a title. If they will sustain their momentum, they’ve a superb probability.
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