"Joe Mazzulla will pay the price for this 0-3 hole the Celtics find themselves in" - NBA insider opens up on wave of fury against Boston coach
Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics find themselves on the brink of elimination in the Eastern Conference finals. After being one of the NBA's top teams all year, they appear to have met their match in Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat.
Heading into the postseason, the Boston Celtics were expected to make it back to the NBA Finals. They are on the brink of falling short, and doing so in terrible fashion. Their potential ugly exit could lead to some major changes within the team.
While discussing the outlook of the Celtics, ESPN's Brian Windhorst touched on a major change that could be gaining steam. The change being the firing of Mazzulla if the Miami Heat are able to complete a sweep in the Conference finals.
“There is a wave of anger from New England and a rising expectation elsewhere Joe Mazzulla will pay the price for this 0-3 hole the Celtics find themselves in.”
“There is a wave of anger from New England and a rising expectation elsewhere Joe Mazzulla will pay the price for this 0-3 hole the Celtics find themselves in.” 😳
- @WindhorstESPN https://t.co/p2S5fHJ2zO
Mazzulla, a first-year head coach, was thrust into the position this summer following the Ime Udoka scandal. He led the team to a 57-25 record in the regular season en route to securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Should the Boston Celtics fire Joe Mazzulla this offseason?
While the current outlook doesn't look great, the Boston Celtics should be in no rush to fire Joe Mazzulla. For starters, the franchise just gave him an extension this year. If they dismiss him, they'll be paying two coaches for the foreseeable future. Back in February, the team got rid of the interim title and worked out a new deal for Mazzulla.
“Mazzulla replaces Ime Udoka.” https://t.co/PJihH8EV5B
The Celtics have always been a well-calculated franchise, which is why they probably won't make a panic move like this. Even if they don't get past the Miami Heat, they'll still be in a great position moving forward. With the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the charge, Boston is sure to be right back in the title picture this season.
Mazzulla should survive this season but will undoubtedly have a lot of work to do this summer. If he wants to remain head coach, he'll need to turn things around in the locker room. After making the Finals last year, expectations will remain high for this group. On top of that, their window of contention will only stay open for so long.