BOSTON — Upon being thrust suddenly as the Celtics’ interim head coach in September, in the wake of Ime Udoka’s suspension, uncertainty followed Joe Mazzulla.
Even as Mazzulla led the Celtics to the best start in the NBA, it persisted. The interim tag remained, and the cloud of Udoka and an unresolved situation loomed over him. In early November, when Udoka nearly left to become the coach of the Brooklyn Nets but ultimately stayed, Mazzulla brushed off any distractions it created, even if his future was undecided.
“I just have a job to do,” Mazzulla said then. “Just focus on that. The guys are bought in. They trust me for the position that I’m in, and I just can’t take that trust for granted. I’ve just gotta do my job, whatever we’ve gotta do to win. And it will figure itself out.”
