Congrats, Coach.

After a 12-4 run through a road-heavy March, Joe Mazzulla has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. During a defining stretch that included a nine-game winning streak, Boston lead the league in scoring and boasted a +15.8 net rating.

With the Celtics clinching the #1 seed in the East and nearing a lock of overall homecourt advantage through to a potential Finals run, Mazzulla has had to weigh rest and recovery while maintaining mental sharpness with the playoffs on the horizon.

To wit, here’s a great little tidbit from Celtics PR:

Boston won nine consecutive games with eight different starting lineups from March 9-23 and posted a +17.2 plus/minus per game during that span. The Celtics’ 14.8 point differential is the fifth-highest mark for the month of March in NBA history and ranks second since 1986, in addition to the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14 (17.4).

It’s Mazzulla’s third time winning CotM honors which he, of course, has humbly deflected. After being noticed for the same award in December, Mazzulla said, “I think it’s a testament to what we’re building and what we’re creating. So, it’s a testament to the staff. I wish they would change it to Staff of the Month because I’m not doing it by myself. I’m not the one controlling scouts. I’m not the one making the edits. I’m not the one doing the matchups during the game or coming up with lineup suggestions. That’s the entire staff. Then, if the players don’t let me coach them, I’m not really a good coach. So, I think it’s a testament to the environment we’re creating.”

Former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month with the Rockets surging (13-2 last month) for a playoff spot.