What did Joe Mazzulla say on being named the head coach of the Boston Celtics?
Joe Mazzulla had his interim tag removed on Thursday as he was named the head coach of the Boston Celtics.
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Joe Mazzulla is officially the 19th Head Coach in franchise history 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 https://t.co/LMcTLS1u0m
The first-year head coach shared his thoughts on his new title while speaking with NBC Sports Boston, stating:
"I appreciate that from Brad and from the Celtics. Ever since I've been here, even as an assistant, I've always felt their support, I've always felt their communication, and I've always felt their honesty. Since I've been here, I always knew exactly where I stood. Even though it was an interim position, I knew exactly where I stood."
He added:
"I knew I was going to get a fair shake. I knew I was going to get an opportunity... This is one of the best locker rooms I've ever been in and it's very easy to be confident when you have the group of people with the character that we have and the group of players that we have so because the organization is aligned very well, it's very easy."
Joe Mazzulla took over as the Boston Celtics interim head coach after former coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the 2022-2023 season after reportedly having an intimate relationship with a female member of the Celtics staff.
In his lone season as head coach of the Celtics, Udoka led the team to a 51-31 record. Furthermore, he earned an NBA Finals appearance, however, Boston was ultimately defeated in six games by the Golden State Warriors.
Check out Joe Mazzulla's full comments on becoming the head coach of the Boston Celtics below:
Joe Mazzulla reacts to being named head coach of the Celtics ☘️ https://t.co/x9uN8HMv44
How has Joe Mazzulla fared in his first year as a head coach?
Joe Mazzulla spent just three seasons as an assistant coach before being named as the interim head coach of the Boston Celtics. Mazzulla's coaching career has gotten off to a great start as he has led the Celtics to an NBA-best 42-17 record ahead of the All-Star break.
Due to his team's performance, Mazzulla was rewarded with the honor of being able to coach Team Giannis in the 2022-2023 All-Star Game. While the Celtics appear destined to improve upon last year's 51-31 record in their only season under Ime Udoka, the true barometer of their success will be judged in the postseason.
If they are able to once again make a deep run, there will be no second-guessing of the decision to remove the interim tag from Mazzulla's title. If Boston is eliminated early, however, fans will likely question the decision to part ways with Udoka, who led them to an NBA Finals appearance last season.