The Boston Celtics have shown all season long how dominant they have been against every other team in the NBA. But before the playoffs start, head coach Joe Mazzulla has set the record straight on the squad’s identity and how they deal with all the pressure around them.
The best example of the Celtics’ dominance was seen in a 140-88 win over the Golden State Warriors at the start of March this year. In that contest, Jaylen Brown led his team by dropping 29 points on 57 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from deep. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum added 27 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
The Dubs, on the other hand, had a horrendous performance from their All-Star trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond. The three combined for only 16 points as each player didn’t spend much time on the court against the Celtics.
The end result is a thorough dismantling of Golden State by a Boston offense that’s ranked first in the NBA and a third-place defense out of 30 teams. And much like that win over the Curry-led Warriors, the Celtics have established themselves as a juggernaut during the regular season, giving them the best record in the league at this point in time.
Boston Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla Sets Record Straight On Team’s Identity Before Playoffs
After their most recent win against the Washington Wizards, Mazzulla faced the media and explained the team’s mindset heading into the playoffs. In a video posted by Celtics on CLNS on X:
Thanks to the addition of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday during the last offseason, the Celtics are able to yield a top-ranked offense to dominate in the regular season. Even if that’s the case, Mazzulla’s revelation paints a comendable perspective of his players as their attempt to win a ring starts soon.
With the Play-In Tournament set to start soon, it remains to be seen which team will Boston face in the playoffs. In any case, their opponents in the first round will have to work twice as hard to keep up against them.