The Boston Celtics will embark upon their title defense on Tuesday night as they play in the first game of the 2024-25 NBA season against the New York Knicks. It is the return of basketball, and with that return comes the usual offering of bizarre quotes from the ever-thoughtful head of the Celtics, Joe Mazzulla.
On Monday, the third-year coach spoke to reporters after practice about the upcoming season and fielded a question about the sort of pressure the Celtics face to repeat as NBA champions. He offered a morbid response.
"We're all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn't matter anymore."
What kind of pressure are the Celtics feeling this season?
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) October 21, 2024
Joe Mazzulla: “Zero. No pressure. We’re all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn’t matter anymore.
“So, zero pressure. You’re either going to win or you’re not. … It’s not pressure. It’s an opportunity.” pic.twitter.com/uFUJVzFV0K
A standard Mazzulla response.
And it's also why Mazzulla makes life more interesting. He took a fairly cookie-cutter question about expectations and narratives in the NBA season and made it noteworthy. Even better that it directly lines up with everything we've come to know about the offbeat coach, who already said this offseason he hopes the team has a target between their eyes this year. Mazzulla, if anything, remains consistent in his messaging. Even if it can slant a little... dark.
Mazzulla's campaign to write a whole new book of coach-isms will continue on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Mazzulla Offered More Morbid Wisdom When Asked About Celtics' Pressure to Repeat .
