Fire Joe! ... or critique Joe ... or defend Joe... or worry about Joe's coaching

[Roy H.]

Every time we have a coach, there's people begging us to fire him

Brad Stevens, Ime, now Joe. I'm sure even before I joined here, people were calling for Doc to be fired for many years before he ultimately was 

We can fire Joe, hire Nurse and I bet you months later there'd be a "Fire Nick" thread

Is this a defense of Joe?  Because, even fickle fans are right sometimes.

Not at all. But like what perfect coach is out there? Even guys like Spo and Popovich aren't perfect.

Ime wasn't perfect either even though I loved him and wished the offseason drama didn't occur

It's not about perfection.  It's that a contender shouldn't have the 29th or 30th best team in the NBA.  (I haven't observed Chauncey Billups enough to know if he's better than Joe.

[SparzWizard]

Ya best bet this will get bumped if we lose another game this series. 10 out of 10 it will be a coaching problem that caused the L, an egregious one while at it.

If the guys are relaxed tomorrow and lose, heck yeah it'll be his fault. They don't want to put themselves down 2-1 or 3-1. C's are now at their turf.

[greg683x]

So I’m probably gonna get some blowback for saying this but I’m gonna go ahead and do it because it’s kind of the underlying elephant in the room with all of this.

Will this team really have the balls to fire two young African American coaches, in consecutive years, after each in their only season had over 50 wins and was at the top of their conference.

……AND on top of that, replace him with a white head coach.  Jaylens head will explode along with the entire sports media.

Ain’t gonna happen.  They’ve already endorsed him, I doubt they’ll fire him.  And if they do, there’s zippy chance you’ll see Nurse or Vogel brought in.

Sorry to make this political, but it’s going to be a factor

100% people will bring this up and not because they think the Celtics organization is prejudice but because they know it will get them attention. It will get people talking and draw attention which talking heads love to do. It's all about clicks and viewers. What is a good way of doing that? Creating a story just like that. Guaranteed they fire Joe and we will hear about racist Boston for sure. Forget the fact that Mazzulla is in way over his head and should be let go, that isn't a sexy story. Saying Boston fired two young black coaches in consecutive years, now we are talking.

I love when speculation becomes something to be angered about.  Greg - It’s your guess, it isn’t real, it’s what could be, but hasn’t happened. When Wyc and Brad keep a bad coach only because he’s Black - then be mad about it. Till then it’s just being mad for the sake of being mad.

Well, first off, I apologize for taking this thread down a road it shouldn’t have gone down.  I regret making it my original post, but if I’m being honest, it’s not because I don’t think it has merit, but because I did something that I normally get upset with others for doing.  Which is making a topic about politics when it doesn’t need to be about politics.  For that I’m sorry for anyone who needs to hear it

That being said, I need to clarify the intentions of my comments.  I’m not angry, nor did I write this post out of anger, which your reaction leads me to believe was your impression.  Perhaps I’m wrong here, but at least where I’m from, after Ime was suspended/fired, whatever you want to call it, there was a lot of discussion about how white coaches get a much longer leash than black coaches, and to banish Ime for year bc of a consensual relationship was some sort of validation for that thought.  I remember it being discussed a lot on ESPN, but also locally where I’m from in the DC area.

The point I was simply making was that regardless of how validated the Cs felt in firing Joe after a playoff failure this year,  the PR optics of the whole thing would be terrible.  It would simply validate everything all these talking heads were talking about the year before.  People provided other scenarios where teams fired a coach of the year the year after they won it, but we’d be firing a coach that won over 50 games and got us to the finals, and then firing his replacement after he won 57 games the following year.  It would just be a very odd dynamic IMO.  Then you factor in that both of these coaches are black, coaching in a city that always seems embroiled in some sort of racial controversy, it would just seem like it would be the hot take sports writers dream of and a PR nightmare for the Cs.  Even more so if they followed it up by hiring a Nick Nurse.

And look, our star player Jaylen, who is also vice president of the players association, has openly said before that he wants to rapidly increase the amount of black coaches in the league regardless of whether they’re the most qualified or not. 

Whether we all like it or not, race does become a factor when it comes to the hiring and firing of coaches.  It might not be the deciding factor but it’s something management needs to consider, especially in regards to how it can affect the locker room. 

But look, if you feel all of this talk is in bad taste, I get it, just reread the first paragraph I wrote and let’s leave it at that.


Oh and to the person who claimed that this discussion was validation for Jaylens opinions in The NY Times article, if that was in response to my post, well, I’m not from Boston.  So regardless of how you feel about my opinions, don’t let it be a reflection of New Englanders

[tenn_smoothie]

greg683x:
"And look, our star player Jaylen, who is also vice president of the players association, has openly said before that he wants to rapidly increase the amount of black coaches in the league regardless of whether they’re the most qualified or not. "

Frightening that Jaylen Brown would say something that stupid. In other words, getting more black faces on the sidelines is the priority above everything else, even if your team suffers the consequences of mediocre to poor coaching if, in fact, a team hires a lesser coach because of their skin color over a more accomplished candidate who is white. Brown is campaigning for affirmative action, which is an insult to blacks, at one of the highest levels of sport. The franchise should not be held hostage because one player would be unhappy if we fired an inferior coach because he is black. That's just crazy, but I could see Brad and Wyc doing it.

I have wondered all season what the players really think about Joe and his coaching. They have to have seen the difference in how they are playing now as opposed to last year. Joe's emphasis on offense and poor shot selection plays right into this team's worst tendencies. Both Tatum and Brown independently commented on our bad shot selection and over-reliance on 3's after they watched a game from home when they were injured. Several players made statements about their focus on playing strong defense in game 2 vs Philly and how important it was in the win.

[ozgod]

Joe just called himself the worst coach ever. Prescience or sarcasm?

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been keeping tabs on all of the criticism lobbed his way this season.

Following Boston’s blowout win over the 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday, Mazzulla closed out his press conference by inquiring about the lack of questions related to his adjustments against Philly.

“Nobody wants to ask about all the adjustments we made from Game 1 to Game 2?” Mazzulla said sarcastically.

Joe Mazzulla drops the mic to end his press conference.

"What, no one wants to ask about the adjustments we made from game one to game two?"

📹: @NCoitABC6 @ABC6 #BleedGreen #JohnstonJoe #NBA #NBAPlayoffs @HendrickenHawks @HendrickenHawks pic.twitter.com/a6YU2cPVK1

— Ian Steele (@IanSteeleABC6) May 4, 2023

Less than 24 hours after dropping the mic, Mazzulla was at it again with another closing statement following a Zoom conference with the media.

“I am the worst coach ever,” Mazzulla could be heard saying as he made his way off-camera on Thursday afternoon.

Joe Mazzulla wrapping his presser today: “I am the worst coach ever.”https://t.co/VEIOBVqdOl pic.twitter.com/xMdbvrWqqu

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) May 4, 2023

Mazzulla has been a target of criticism this season when things have gone south for the Celtics. Granted, the first-year head coach has raised eyebrows at various points this year with his timeout decisions and late-game rotations.

But some of those faults are due to a lack of execution on the court, rather than miscues made by the 34-year-old Mazzulla.

After a disheartening Game 1 loss to the Sixers, Mazzulla and the Celtics orchestrated a 34-point victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

While Mazzulla didn’t field any questions about the in-game tweaks made between Games 1 and 2 on Wednesday night, he elaborated a bit more on Thursday about the Celtics’ refined approach entering Boston’s lopsided victory.

“I thought the first adjustment we made was our mindset and our physicality — which I thought we just brought a different level of both of those things to the beginning of the game … and we sustained it throughout the entire game, which is something that we definitely talked about,” Mazzulla said Thursday, per CLNS Media. “I thought we did a better job in our shift activity, presenting help and getting out to shooters, doing both, not giving up a ton of catch-and-shoot threes.

“And I just thought we managed the game really well. Our half-court defense led to our offense, and then our offensive decision-making led to our ability to get back into defense. So we’ve continued to do those things. And then obviously, our guys are really good at communicating matchups and giving [James] Harden and [Joel] Embiid different looks.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/05/04/joe-mazzulla-criticism-coach-celtics-philadelphia-76ers/?p1=hp_secondary

[Neurotic Guy]

Greg - thanks for the explanation. Sorry for jumping to the “angry” conclusion. Points well taken.

Tennsmoothie - if America had always (ever) operated as an actual meritocracy we’d never have had the need for an affirmative action discussion.  I’m not writing this to defend affirmative action (btw), I’m suggesting that it doesn’t necessarily sit well with people who’ve suffered discrimination when suddenly someone decides - heretofore, let’s be a meritocracy.

If you proclaim the start of a true meritocracy and then take the view that the most seasoned and experienced are the most qualified (which may have been JBs assertion or concern) then your pool of the highest quality candidates will be only those who benefited from life in the era of discrimination. 

[Roy H.]

Joe just called himself the worst coach ever. Prescience or sarcasm?

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been keeping tabs on all of the criticism lobbed his way this season.

Following Boston’s blowout win over the 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday, Mazzulla closed out his press conference by inquiring about the lack of questions related to his adjustments against Philly.

“Nobody wants to ask about all the adjustments we made from Game 1 to Game 2?” Mazzulla said sarcastically.

Joe Mazzulla drops the mic to end his press conference.

"What, no one wants to ask about the adjustments we made from game one to game two?"

📹: @NCoitABC6 @ABC6 #BleedGreen #JohnstonJoe #NBA #NBAPlayoffs @HendrickenHawks @HendrickenHawks pic.twitter.com/a6YU2cPVK1

— Ian Steele (@IanSteeleABC6) May 4, 2023

Less than 24 hours after dropping the mic, Mazzulla was at it again with another closing statement following a Zoom conference with the media.

“I am the worst coach ever,” Mazzulla could be heard saying as he made his way off-camera on Thursday afternoon.

Joe Mazzulla wrapping his presser today: “I am the worst coach ever.”https://t.co/VEIOBVqdOl pic.twitter.com/xMdbvrWqqu

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) May 4, 2023

Mazzulla has been a target of criticism this season when things have gone south for the Celtics. Granted, the first-year head coach has raised eyebrows at various points this year with his timeout decisions and late-game rotations.

But some of those faults are due to a lack of execution on the court, rather than miscues made by the 34-year-old Mazzulla.

After a disheartening Game 1 loss to the Sixers, Mazzulla and the Celtics orchestrated a 34-point victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

While Mazzulla didn’t field any questions about the in-game tweaks made between Games 1 and 2 on Wednesday night, he elaborated a bit more on Thursday about the Celtics’ refined approach entering Boston’s lopsided victory.

“I thought the first adjustment we made was our mindset and our physicality — which I thought we just brought a different level of both of those things to the beginning of the game … and we sustained it throughout the entire game, which is something that we definitely talked about,” Mazzulla said Thursday, per CLNS Media. “I thought we did a better job in our shift activity, presenting help and getting out to shooters, doing both, not giving up a ton of catch-and-shoot threes.

“And I just thought we managed the game really well. Our half-court defense led to our offense, and then our offensive decision-making led to our ability to get back into defense. So we’ve continued to do those things. And then obviously, our guys are really good at communicating matchups and giving [James] Harden and [Joel] Embiid different looks.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/05/04/joe-mazzulla-criticism-coach-celtics-philadelphia-76ers/?p1=hp_secondary

A sign of a guy taking stuff criticism to heart and starting to lose control of his emotions. 

But, he shouldn't be so hard on himself.  M.L. Carr was probably worse (although I bet he wins 50+ with this roster).

[Roy H.]

You can't even make this stuff up.

The layups were nice, but they did get the Celtics away from what they do best. They took 26 3-pointers, their second-lowest total over the last two years. “I don’t think 26 3s is a recipe for our success as a team," Mazzulla said.

We lost last night because...  we didn't shoot enough threes! 

Not the 16 turnovers, not the atrocious defense.  In spite of the 58.7% shooting and easy layups, it's the lack of threes that cost us the game.

I swear, if I was Wyc I'd fire him today.

This quote does seem strange.  It is true that PHI had 38 3PA to our 26.   PHI made 45%, we made 38.5%.  That is 51 points to 30 points from 3.  That is a big difference.  Joe didn't say this very well but it is a point of strategy.  We need to defend so that they get fewer 3s and attack so we get more 3s, at least more than the ratio in this game.  I am OK with that.

More concerning to me though is the 89 overall shot attempts by PHI to 75 by BOS.   Those 14 extra shots for PHI, many of them turning out to be 3s, is where the meat is.  Most of these extra shots are due to turnovers (16 to 6).  FTs/fouls (18 FTA to 12) was a factor also, we had more possessions that resulted in FTs, reducing our FGAs, which is OK, the good side of attacking.  To me, this is where the main coaching focus should be, take care of the ball!  Attacking to draw fouls is good too, but many of our "attacks" resulted in sloppy turnovers.  Executing the offense to get a few more 3s is a secondary (to reducing TOs) focus, at best.  But I would rather jack a 3 than dribble into a crowd that results in a TO.  I think that is Mazzulla's point.  Hopefully he can communicate this better to the players than he sounded in the quote to the reporter.

Yeah, I think he's just wrong, for the reasons you articulated.  If we took the exact same shots, we would have won going away if we had either played some semblance of defense, or lowered our turnovers.  The shot selection wasn't the issue, as our offense was extremely efficient.

I worry that Joe is preaching to the team that they somehow did something wrong by attacking the basket and getting a bunch of layups. Only an idiot coach would be disappointed with his team getting so many inside shots and baskets, and yet here we are.

yup and that really worries me.

So, for the people calling Joe an “idiot coach”.

The team finished the year under this “idiot coach” with the second best record in the league, a top-5 offense and defense. He helped keep their heads on straight in what could have been a disaster pi’s off-season. You’ll say he’s a basketball idiot, but he could run rings around you in his knowledge of the game. Walking on his hands.

And since we are going to talk about race, I’ve seen too many posts calling him into question as an affirmative action coach. Apparently,  he’s got to work twice as hard to prove himself because of his race.  If there is affirmative action in the NBA coaching ranks, then for a very long time it has been heavily in favor of white coaches.

Luke Walton had the Warriors start something like 24-0 and 41-3.  He's objectively a bad coach by NBA standards.  He's probably an idiot compared to other NBA coaches, as well, but I am not aware of him ever having a philosophy as dumb as "shoot more threes" after a historically efficient performance. 

And, why do people never mention last year's team, when talking about the record and the offense / defense?  Over the second half of last year, we had a historically good point differential.  They finished the season 33-10, a 63 win.  After a hot start, this team finished on a 52 win pace, despite adding Brogdon, Hauser and a better Derrick White.

Walton did that as a head coach? I’m seeing that his best season in the NBA as a HC was 37-45. I think Joe is already a better coach than Luke Walton.

He was interim coach for more than half the season when Kerr was on a leave of absence.

https://www.businessinsider.com/luke-waltons-record-with-warriors-wont-count-2016-1

But yes, Walton is the best data point in "lousy coaches can have extreme success" argument.  He literally "led" the best start in NBA history.

[celts55]

Joe just called himself the worst coach ever. Prescience or sarcasm?

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been keeping tabs on all of the criticism lobbed his way this season.

Following Boston’s blowout win over the 76ers in Game 2 on Wednesday, Mazzulla closed out his press conference by inquiring about the lack of questions related to his adjustments against Philly.

“Nobody wants to ask about all the adjustments we made from Game 1 to Game 2?” Mazzulla said sarcastically.

Joe Mazzulla drops the mic to end his press conference.

"What, no one wants to ask about the adjustments we made from game one to game two?"

📹: @NCoitABC6 @ABC6 #BleedGreen #JohnstonJoe #NBA #NBAPlayoffs @HendrickenHawks @HendrickenHawks pic.twitter.com/a6YU2cPVK1

— Ian Steele (@IanSteeleABC6) May 4, 2023

Less than 24 hours after dropping the mic, Mazzulla was at it again with another closing statement following a Zoom conference with the media.

“I am the worst coach ever,” Mazzulla could be heard saying as he made his way off-camera on Thursday afternoon.

Joe Mazzulla wrapping his presser today: “I am the worst coach ever.”https://t.co/VEIOBVqdOl pic.twitter.com/xMdbvrWqqu

— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) May 4, 2023

Mazzulla has been a target of criticism this season when things have gone south for the Celtics. Granted, the first-year head coach has raised eyebrows at various points this year with his timeout decisions and late-game rotations.

But some of those faults are due to a lack of execution on the court, rather than miscues made by the 34-year-old Mazzulla.

After a disheartening Game 1 loss to the Sixers, Mazzulla and the Celtics orchestrated a 34-point victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

While Mazzulla didn’t field any questions about the in-game tweaks made between Games 1 and 2 on Wednesday night, he elaborated a bit more on Thursday about the Celtics’ refined approach entering Boston’s lopsided victory.

“I thought the first adjustment we made was our mindset and our physicality — which I thought we just brought a different level of both of those things to the beginning of the game … and we sustained it throughout the entire game, which is something that we definitely talked about,” Mazzulla said Thursday, per CLNS Media. “I thought we did a better job in our shift activity, presenting help and getting out to shooters, doing both, not giving up a ton of catch-and-shoot threes.

“And I just thought we managed the game really well. Our half-court defense led to our offense, and then our offensive decision-making led to our ability to get back into defense. So we’ve continued to do those things. And then obviously, our guys are really good at communicating matchups and giving [James] Harden and [Joel] Embiid different looks.”

https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2023/05/04/joe-mazzulla-criticism-coach-celtics-philadelphia-76ers/?p1=hp_secondary

While I applaud Joe that he finally finished out that he has figured out that adjustments can be made between games, it would be fantastic if someone told him they he can make them during a game.
As I’ve said before, I like the guy, but he needs to get better if he wants to stay. I don’t think it’s a good look for him to be so defensive. Criticism is part of being a coach, or a player in pro sports. He better grow a thicker skin

[mobilija]

This thread is sorta over the top...While I don't love Joe, I'm not ready to bury him. Feels like ya'll just want a whipping boy.

I actually think his attempt to have players "play thru" their mistakes was a decent idea, but I also don't think it didnt work. I've noticed that he hasn't carried this practice over to the playoffs, when the games really matter. He's calling timeouts to help control flown of the game better and he is setting up ATOs netter at the end of games.

As far as ATOs, i think he's been pretty creative. Gettimg the ball into different people's hands (see Derek White play that led to 2 FT which would have won the game 5 if Tre hadn't hit a ridiculous game winner). Very few Tatum iso step back 3s coming off ATO. I see players bumbling the situations more than bad plays.

As far as in game adjustments, look no further than the end of game 6 vs Atlanta. Joe pulled Smart after 2 missed 3s. When Smart was put back in, they ran the same action w Tatum but this time with Smart going to the middle of the floor and facilitating or getting layups. Smart won that game thanks to Joes end of game adjustment.

Check out the Grant Williams article on CelticsBlog, the 1st video. Joe motions GW, mid play, into a cut for an open 3 pointer. Pretty savvy recognition by Joe (also Sixers blown coverage, caught ball watching).

Yeah, I don't love the defense this year. It's more lackluster, takes away some of the Rob Williams magic. But I'll credit Joe w the hot offensive start and the emphasis on player movement, that was severely lacking last year and cost us the championship.

Not a perfect coach, not even great but he's not an idiot. I think a lot of what people don't like is his curt demeanor.

[SHAQATTACK]

Really not Joe’s fault he is coach .  He didn’t appoint himself to that job .   

I think if you don’t like him , and to be fair , it’s better to throw the blame for him being in the coach’s seat permanently to the crowd in the  upstairs offices .

Maybe they jumped the gun ,  Ime stayed clean and quiet serving his sentence.  I d probably just held off and rerun Ime from the little info I have on his predicament.  But , I think the plot is deeper than I know and it may not have even been an option.

[footey]

You can't even make this stuff up.

The layups were nice, but they did get the Celtics away from what they do best. They took 26 3-pointers, their second-lowest total over the last two years. “I don’t think 26 3s is a recipe for our success as a team," Mazzulla said.

We lost last night because...  we didn't shoot enough threes! 

Not the 16 turnovers, not the atrocious defense.  In spite of the 58.7% shooting and easy layups, it's the lack of threes that cost us the game.

I swear, if I was Wyc I'd fire him today.

This quote does seem strange.  It is true that PHI had 38 3PA to our 26.   PHI made 45%, we made 38.5%.  That is 51 points to 30 points from 3.  That is a big difference.  Joe didn't say this very well but it is a point of strategy.  We need to defend so that they get fewer 3s and attack so we get more 3s, at least more than the ratio in this game.  I am OK with that.

More concerning to me though is the 89 overall shot attempts by PHI to 75 by BOS.   Those 14 extra shots for PHI, many of them turning out to be 3s, is where the meat is.  Most of these extra shots are due to turnovers (16 to 6).  FTs/fouls (18 FTA to 12) was a factor also, we had more possessions that resulted in FTs, reducing our FGAs, which is OK, the good side of attacking.  To me, this is where the main coaching focus should be, take care of the ball!  Attacking to draw fouls is good too, but many of our "attacks" resulted in sloppy turnovers.  Executing the offense to get a few more 3s is a secondary (to reducing TOs) focus, at best.  But I would rather jack a 3 than dribble into a crowd that results in a TO.  I think that is Mazzulla's point.  Hopefully he can communicate this better to the players than he sounded in the quote to the reporter.

Yeah, I think he's just wrong, for the reasons you articulated.  If we took the exact same shots, we would have won going away if we had either played some semblance of defense, or lowered our turnovers.  The shot selection wasn't the issue, as our offense was extremely efficient.

I worry that Joe is preaching to the team that they somehow did something wrong by attacking the basket and getting a bunch of layups. Only an idiot coach would be disappointed with his team getting so many inside shots and baskets, and yet here we are.

yup and that really worries me.

So, for the people calling Joe an “idiot coach”.

The team finished the year under this “idiot coach” with the second best record in the league, a top-5 offense and defense. He helped keep their heads on straight in what could have been a disaster pi’s off-season. You’ll say he’s a basketball idiot, but he could run rings around you in his knowledge of the game. Walking on his hands.

And since we are going to talk about race, I’ve seen too many posts calling him into question as an affirmative action coach. Apparently,  he’s got to work twice as hard to prove himself because of his race.  If there is affirmative action in the NBA coaching ranks, then for a very long time it has been heavily in favor of white coaches.

Luke Walton had the Warriors start something like 24-0 and 41-3.  He's objectively a bad coach by NBA standards.  He's probably an idiot compared to other NBA coaches, as well, but I am not aware of him ever having a philosophy as dumb as "shoot more threes" after a historically efficient performance. 

And, why do people never mention last year's team, when talking about the record and the offense / defense?  Over the second half of last year, we had a historically good point differential.  They finished the season 33-10, a 63 win.  After a hot start, this team finished on a 52 win pace, despite adding Brogdon, Hauser and a better Derrick White.

Walton did that as a head coach? I’m seeing that his best season in the NBA as a HC was 37-45. I think Joe is already a better coach than Luke Walton.

He was interim coach for more than half the season when Kerr was on a leave of absence.

https://www.businessinsider.com/luke-waltons-record-with-warriors-wont-count-2016-1

But yes, Walton is the best data point in "lousy coaches can have extreme success" argument.  He literally "led" the best start in NBA history.

If Joe is a lousy coach, then Brad is a lousy President of Basketball Operations. One of his most important decisions is hiring a head coach.

I think the jury is out on Joe.  I actually think he is a very bright basketball mind. I also think he is immature and oversensitive, especially in his dealings with the press.  His comments like "doesn't anyone want to talk about our game adjustments" and "I'm the worst coach" are sophomoric. I would hope Brad tutors him on this. The HC of the Boston Celtics can't behave that way. It sets a bad image.

[Vermont Green]

If Joe is a lousy coach, then Brad is a lousy President of Basketball Operations. One of his most important decisions is hiring a head coach.

I think the jury is out on Joe.  I actually think he is a very bright basketball mind. I also think he is immature and oversensitive, especially in his dealings with the press.  His comments like "doesn't anyone want to talk about our game adjustments" and "I'm the worst coach" are sophomoric. I would hope Brad tutors him on this. The HC of the Boston Celtics can't behave that way. It sets a bad image.

This is pretty much where I am at.  Some of his immaturity and apparent sensitivity is getting revealed now that we are getting deeper into the playoffs.  I think he has been fine regarding on the court and handling players; not perfect, but fine.  He needs to keep that game face on with the press too.  He has slipped up a few times recently.  He can let out his frustrations after we win the title but for now, he needs to suck it up and stick to the script (like he has done pretty well all season).

As to the decision by Stevens, this was not a situation where they could do a formal and extensive coaching search and pick their guy, like they did when they hired Ime.  This was a situation that came out of nowhere and they needed to address it in a short amount of time in order for it not to impact the start of the season.  Under these circumstances, I am not critical at all of the decision and I think the results have been as good as could have been expected.  We are currently still the favorite to win the title.

[greg683x]

You can't even make this stuff up.

The layups were nice, but they did get the Celtics away from what they do best. They took 26 3-pointers, their second-lowest total over the last two years. “I don’t think 26 3s is a recipe for our success as a team," Mazzulla said.

We lost last night because...  we didn't shoot enough threes! 

Not the 16 turnovers, not the atrocious defense.  In spite of the 58.7% shooting and easy layups, it's the lack of threes that cost us the game.

I swear, if I was Wyc I'd fire him today.

This quote does seem strange.  It is true that PHI had 38 3PA to our 26.   PHI made 45%, we made 38.5%.  That is 51 points to 30 points from 3.  That is a big difference.  Joe didn't say this very well but it is a point of strategy.  We need to defend so that they get fewer 3s and attack so we get more 3s, at least more than the ratio in this game.  I am OK with that.

More concerning to me though is the 89 overall shot attempts by PHI to 75 by BOS.   Those 14 extra shots for PHI, many of them turning out to be 3s, is where the meat is.  Most of these extra shots are due to turnovers (16 to 6).  FTs/fouls (18 FTA to 12) was a factor also, we had more possessions that resulted in FTs, reducing our FGAs, which is OK, the good side of attacking.  To me, this is where the main coaching focus should be, take care of the ball!  Attacking to draw fouls is good too, but many of our "attacks" resulted in sloppy turnovers.  Executing the offense to get a few more 3s is a secondary (to reducing TOs) focus, at best.  But I would rather jack a 3 than dribble into a crowd that results in a TO.  I think that is Mazzulla's point.  Hopefully he can communicate this better to the players than he sounded in the quote to the reporter.

Yeah, I think he's just wrong, for the reasons you articulated.  If we took the exact same shots, we would have won going away if we had either played some semblance of defense, or lowered our turnovers.  The shot selection wasn't the issue, as our offense was extremely efficient.

I worry that Joe is preaching to the team that they somehow did something wrong by attacking the basket and getting a bunch of layups. Only an idiot coach would be disappointed with his team getting so many inside shots and baskets, and yet here we are.

yup and that really worries me.

So, for the people calling Joe an “idiot coach”.

The team finished the year under this “idiot coach” with the second best record in the league, a top-5 offense and defense. He helped keep their heads on straight in what could have been a disaster pi’s off-season. You’ll say he’s a basketball idiot, but he could run rings around you in his knowledge of the game. Walking on his hands.

And since we are going to talk about race, I’ve seen too many posts calling him into question as an affirmative action coach. Apparently,  he’s got to work twice as hard to prove himself because of his race.  If there is affirmative action in the NBA coaching ranks, then for a very long time it has been heavily in favor of white coaches.

Luke Walton had the Warriors start something like 24-0 and 41-3.  He's objectively a bad coach by NBA standards.  He's probably an idiot compared to other NBA coaches, as well, but I am not aware of him ever having a philosophy as dumb as "shoot more threes" after a historically efficient performance. 

And, why do people never mention last year's team, when talking about the record and the offense / defense?  Over the second half of last year, we had a historically good point differential.  They finished the season 33-10, a 63 win.  After a hot start, this team finished on a 52 win pace, despite adding Brogdon, Hauser and a better Derrick White.

Walton did that as a head coach? I’m seeing that his best season in the NBA as a HC was 37-45. I think Joe is already a better coach than Luke Walton.

He was interim coach for more than half the season when Kerr was on a leave of absence.

https://www.businessinsider.com/luke-waltons-record-with-warriors-wont-count-2016-1

But yes, Walton is the best data point in "lousy coaches can have extreme success" argument.  He literally "led" the best start in NBA history.

If Joe is a lousy coach, then Brad is a lousy President of Basketball Operations. One of his most important decisions is hiring a head coach.

I think the jury is out on Joe.  I actually think he is a very bright basketball mind. I also think he is immature and oversensitive, especially in his dealings with the press.  His comments like "doesn't anyone want to talk about our game adjustments" and "I'm the worst coach" are sophomoric. I would hope Brad tutors him on this. The HC of the Boston Celtics can't behave that way. It sets a bad image.

I think the biggest mistake Brad made was committing to Joe too early.

Appointing him the interim coach I thought and still do think was a great move, because I think the original plan was to ultimately bring Ime back.  Having Joe be the interim coach helps maintain at least some semblance of continuity heading into the next season after your team made the finals.

The Ime situation is kind of unprecedented, and personally I think the front office may have overreacted to this bc the league was fresh off the Sarver mess in Phoenix.  Brads just playing the hand he was dealt, and so is Joe.  But again, I just think Brad committed too soon, and he may have painted himself into a corner because of it

[ozgod]

The Globe's Adam Himmelsbach had an interesting piece on Joe today, about what he does to maintain his focus - jiu jitsu. He has never beaten his trainer, not for lack of trying. But he believes the discipline he gets from it has helped him navigate the challenges of this season.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is trying to decide if he will let me watch him fight another man.

He has thrived since being catapulted into his new job in September, guiding the Celtics to 57 regular-season wins as NBA title favorites. But he is concerned that a story about his jiu-jitsu training could create the perception that his focus is not squarely on a championship.

Except this unusual pursuit is not a distraction, it helps him. The mental focus. The breathing. The competition. The defeats.

He eventually agrees to open the curtain on a class with his Brazilian professor, Alex Costa, a tank of a man who looks like he could crumple a full beer can with two fingers. There are conditions, however.

The regular season has just ended, and Mazzulla will cooperate only if the story is published after the Celtics win a playoff series. He wants the location of his sparring session to remain private. He says I cannot record it or tell anyone that I’m there. He is not smiling when he sets these boundaries.

And that is how we recently ended up in a cramped, windowless room that can’t be described in much more detail, with Mazzulla changing out of Celtics workout gear and into a gi, a uniform consisting of loose pants and a robe-like long-sleeved top, held together by a belt.

“I can only let people know what Joe allows me to,” Costa says, “so there’s a lot of secrets involved.”

Mazzulla places his crucifix necklace, smar****ch, and iPhone on a small table, along with two bottles of electrolyte-infused water. Then he and Costa drag in three large red mats that Costa has brought from his Commonwealth Avenue gym. They tape them together into a makeshift ring. It’s intense.

“We need the best of you, and we’re going to do it,” Costa forcefully tells Mazzulla. “We’re on the way.”

In about 90 minutes, Mazzulla will be lying on the mat, covered in sweat, gasping for air, telling Costa he is finished, even as Costa tells him he is not. This is the feeling Mazzulla believes will help him during the most unforgiving, stressful moments of these playoffs. This is the feeling he has needed.

For full article click on https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/05/sports/joe-mazzulla-celtics-jiu-jitsu/