Joe Mazzulla Gives Shoutout To Bygone Celtics After Title Win

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla takes a unique approach to just about everything he does.

He’s been criticized throughout his young career for the outside-the-box approach he takes to things, but was vindicated Monday as he became the youngest coach to win an NBA title since 1968.

Mazzulla’s arrival to the top of his profession didn’t do anything to change his commitment to the process, though, as he gave a special shoutout to bygone Celtics following the organization’s capture of Banner 18.

“I think the most important thing, something that’s really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can’t lose sight of the people that came before us. I want to make sure every person that’s worked for the Celtics, that’s played for the Celtics that didn’t win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed or it doesn’t play a part in where we are at today.

“It can be so easy when you work for this organization and you don’t win that the work that people put in just gets brushed over or gets ignored. And when I first got here, the staff, you know, Brad’s coaching, the staff that they had, the foundation that they built with these guys when they were young, the foundation of what we have, is one of the reasons why we’re here today. I think that’s one of the first things that came to mind, was just because we won this doesn’t mean what the people have done before us isn’t just as important.”

It was a nice moment from Mazzulla, whose own rise to leading the Celtics wasn’t without ups and downs.

Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, Danny Ainge and Jay Larranaga might not have been in the building Monday night, but the work they did to help build a champion didn’t go unrecognized.