After a team’s playoff loss or disappointment, a few fans of the respective losing teams tend to hugely overreact, calling for some major changes. Trading the best player on the team, firing the entire coaching staff, blowing up the team, etc. are all valid options for fans in times of stress like these. This is no different for the Boston Celtics, who fell to the Miami Heat in seven games, despite being the overwhelming favorite entering the series.
A good chunk of this loss has fallen onto the shoulders of rookie HC, Joe Mazzulla. The Celtics not only being favored, but also having home court advantage falling down 3-0 is a big blemish for a coach to have. Some have even called for his firing after one season, or even current Celtics’ executive, Brad Stevens to step back into his spot courtside.
Keep in mind, a coach firing for Boston would mean the team would be looking for its fourth coach in four straight years. An unseen sight for a team like the Celtics, fans should lower their expectations for such rapid change in an organization like such.
Despite the criticism, the former Celtics executive in Danny Ainge had some words of encouragement surrounding Mazzulla:
“I work for another company now, but I’m trying to defend my friends. "I know Joe [Mazzulla]. I hired Joe four or five years ago to work in our G League. I still cheer for my friends. “I don’t think the team quit on Joe. There was pretty good evidence they did not quit on the coach. I just think they weren’t playing well...You see Joe’s toughness and stubbornness. He’s a relentless worker. He has a passion to learn. Joe is a leader, and I think this was a difficult situation with the high expectations the team had coming in. I don’t think there’s anybody there that doesn’t believe that Joe is better than Ime [Udoka] as a coach.”
- Danny Ainge defending Celtics’ coach Joe Mazzulla, via MassLive.
Ainge and Mazzulla have an extensive history, and it shows through the high praise he has for the coach. Even with the Eastern Conference Finals loss, leading a team to a top-2 seed in the East, while also being one game away from winning and making history after an 0-3 deficit is a solid effort in his first year.
This is the Boston Celtics though, there's higher standards involved. With such an expectation to win, and to win fast in a title town like Boston, there’s some obvious added pressure here. Just look at a team in a similar spot: the Philadelphia 76ers. Even a coach with a championship history and loads of experience in Doc Rivers got the boot out of town in just three short years.
While there has been some lasting criticism of Mazzulla in the past few days, Boston remains committed to him as the leader of this team. We saw Brad Stevens comment about his job security in a recent press conference:
"He's a terrific leader...He’ll only get better at anything that he can learn from this year, because he's constantly trying to learn. And he's accountable."
- Celtics executive Brad Stevens on Joe Mazzulla, via ESPN.
We’lll look to see how the Celtics look to bounce back during next season. In what should be another season with title expectations, Mazzulla has even more stakes at hand to bring an 18th trophy back to TD Garden.
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