Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is 5-0 this postseason when facing NBA playoff elimination. That is tied with Paul Westphal, who went 5-1 in 1993 with the Phoenix Suns, for the most wins when facing elimination by a rookie head coach.
The Celtics were down 3-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Boston won Games 6 and 7 to advance to the conference finals. The Heat then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the ECF before the Celtics won three games in a row. The series is now tied at 3-3.
If Mazzulla and Co. win Game 7, they will become the first team in NBA history to win a postseason series after trailing 3-0.
“I think we just feed off each other from that standpoint of like these are the circumstances, and what do we have to do to figure it out, and it starts with them,” Mazzulla said after Game 6 in Miami. “Each one of those guys, like I said, goes into a different level of who they are as a person and as a player. It starts with them in the locker room.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics & Miami Heat Updates
Mazzulla hasn’t taken any credit for the Celtics’ run in these playoffs. Instead, he’s been praising his players left and right.
“They’re just resilient,” Mazzulla said after Game 6. “I’ve said it throughout the year, that’s one of the best locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of. It starts with them. They have a togetherness. They have a connectivity. At their hardest times, they stick by each other, and they’ve done that for a long time, so credit to them.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Joe Mazzulla, Boston Celtics & Miami Heat Updates
The Celtics are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second straight year. Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Finals in six games.
“I mean, there is no guarantee,” Mazzulla said after Game 6. “We just have to understand why we’re still alive. The mindset doesn’t shift. Just can’t relax.”
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