"Nobody cares" - Derrick White recalls Joe Mazzulla's blunt response to winning Coach of the Month
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is possibly one of the most quotable coaches in the NBA. Mazzulla's sarcastic nature and dry sense of humor make for a great interview and press conference. Celtics guard Derrick White recalled his coach's blunt response to winning NBA Coach of the Month.
In a post-practice interview on Thursday, White was asked about his favorite or most memorable quote from Mazzulla. The Colorado product shared a funny response from his 35-year-old coach earlier in the season.
"Favorite Joe Mazzulla quote? When he won Coach of the Month and I was like, 'Hey, congratulations.' And he just looked at me and said, 'Nobody cares.' Something like that," White said.
Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics are one win away from lifting the NBA championship. The Celtics have a commanding 3-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. They can close it out in Game 4 on Friday night at the American Airlines Center.
It has been an unlikely journey for Mazzulla, who took over as Celtics head coach last season when Ime Udoka was suspended and eventually fired. He led Boston to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.
However, Mazzulla was outcoached by Erik Spoelstra as the Heat earned a trip to the NBA Finals after a seven-game series. Some people were questioning if the West Virginia product was the right man for the Celtics.
Fast forward to this season, and Boston owned the regular season with a record of 64-18. The Celtics breezed past the Heat in the first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Now, the Celtics are just a win away from winning their 18th NBA championship and their first one since 2008. They had a chance to lift the trophy in 2022 but fell to the Golden State Warriors.
Joe Mazzulla uses UFC fights to motivate his team
In his pregame press conference on Wednesday, Joe Mazzulla revealed that he uses UFC fights to motivate his players. Mazzulla recently used fight footage of UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira knocking out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300.
Perreira was hit with a low blow but didn't complain to the referee and was able to beat Hill seconds later with a perfectly timed left hook. He then compared it to another fighter who complained about getting hit below the belt and was submitted later.
"The guy gets hit in the n*ts, complains to the ref and complains to the referee and gets distracted and then he gets choked out the next round, so he lost his focus. You see Pereira gets hit in the n*ts, looks at the referee, knocks the guy out five seconds later. So it’s the approach to what happens to you and how you handle it. The closer you think you are to beating someone, the closer you are to getting your a** kicked," Mazzulla said. [H/T Yahoo! Sports]