NBC SPORTS BOSTON ORIGINAL: Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks about how his Rhode Island roots, his faith, and his father Dan continue to impact him on a daily basis
Joe Mazzulla might be the most interesting man in the NBA.
The Boston Celtics head coach has made a name for himself as not only the leader of the reigning champions, but also as one of the most unique personalities in the sport. His one-of-a-kind mindset was spotlighted in NBC Sports Boston's "Mazzulla" documentary.
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Mazzulla's press conferences have become must-watch for C's fans. You never know what is going to come out of his mouth, whether it's an animal kingdom analogy, a reference to "The Town," or a call to implement fighting in the NBA. He has racked up a long list of memorable soundbites since taking over as the Celtics' coach during the 2022-23 season.
In fact, there have been so many great Mazzulla quotes that we've put together a running list of his greatest hits. Check out the best of Mazzulla below:
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"I told Charles when he left, ‘I’m not talking to you during the season. I’m not waving to you at the national anthem. I’m not doing that. You’re an enemy.’
"So he breached NBA rules and came into the assistant coach locker room and forced me to give him a hug. That could easily be a psychological tell that knocks you off your game competitively. So he knew what he was doing."
-- Mazzulla on former Celtics assistant and current Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee seeking him out to give him a hug before a recent Celtics-Hornets game.
"It's a good system. I mean, you get a player on loan -- because it prevents situations where you have to put a guy into a trade that you still kind of believe in, but you have to do it. You could loan him."
-- Mazzulla on Zolak & Bertrand stating that the NBA should look into the "loan system" that European clubs have where players can go to other clubs "on loan" for a finite period of time before returning to their original squad.
"I'm sure every sport wants a version of another sport, but I think it's really cool in soccer and even basketball overseas where you're playing in three leagues at the same time. Like, Tuesday is a Cup game but Saturday might be a domestic league game. That shift in psychology and balancing all that is really fun."
- Mazzulla suggests expanding the NBA Cup.
“The biggest thing that we rob people of, from an entertainment standpoint, is you can’t fight anymore. I wish you could bring back fighting. ...
"I just don’t get why some sports are allowed to clear the benches. They have bats and weapons, we don’t. We just have a ball. The other sport has one of the hardest surfaces and playing instruments in pucks and sticks and we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit?"
-- Mazzulla on "Zolak & Bertrand" about wanting to "bring back fighting" in the NBA.
"Zero. No pressure. We're all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn't matter anymore, so there's zero pressure. ...
"There's nothing anyone in this circle can do to me that's gonna impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach. We're either gonna win or we're not, and 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral and that's it."
-- Mazzulla on the Celtics feeling pressure to defend their title.
Does Joe Mazzulla feel pressure heading into the season?
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 21, 2024
"Zero. No Pressure. We're all gonna be dead soon & it really doesn't matter... you're either gonna win or you're not." pic.twitter.com/DHNFSeEeLB
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? I’m only familiar with one royal family. I don’t know too much about that one.”
-- Mazzulla on Prince William and Kate Middleton attending a Celtics game.
“People are gonna say the target is on our back, but I hope it’s right on our forehead in between our eyes. I hope I can see the red dot."
-- Mazzulla on the Celtics having a target on them after their 2024 NBA championship.
“Before I forget, no one’s ever asked me what my favorite scene from ‘The Town’ was. I know you guys all know that’s my favorite movie, but no one’s ever been curious about what my favorite scene is? …
My favorite one is Doug MacRay is getting ready to leave town, and he skips by the FBI’s car and leaves a nice, well-thought-out handwritten note underneath the antenna, and then gets out of town. That’s my favorite scene.”
“If we ever decided to rob Fenway, I was like, ‘We could probably really get away with this.’ How could you not go to Fenway and think you couldn’t rob it?”
-- Another "The Town" reference from Mazzulla on the Pardon My Take podcast.
“Ever seen “Spider-Man”? … “Into the Spider-Verse”? There’s like, 20 different Spider-Men? That’s like our team."
-- Mazzulla on the 2023-24 Celtics' versatility.
“I would just go until I die.”
-- Mazzulla on running a marathon.
“I saw his face. And then after that, I saw just his poise.”
-- Mazzulla on what he saw after Jaylen Brown took his protective mask off his face.
“It’s beautiful. You should get booed. To me, it’s the ultimate compliment.
“The animal kingdom is the most pure form of hierarchy and role definition that there is.”
-- Mazzulla on why he uses animal kingdom analogies to send messages to his team.
"We're all villains in someone's eyes."
-- Mazzulla during the 2024 NBA Finals on Kyrie Irving being a villain in Boston.
"I wouldn't say I enjoyed the offseason. I enjoyed the parade."
-- Mazzulla during Media Day when asked about his summer.
“I’m always up to get knocked out. I think that’s important, too. ... If you can’t go through the day hoping you don’t get knocked out, I don’t know what do you do.”
“There’s no fouls in a war. You either die or you don’t.”
-- Sam Hauser's favorite Mazzulla quote.
"It ended up being a great experience for me. I had to do six hours of treatment in order to coach the next game without too much of a limp because I could not walk. But I tell you what, it was one of the best things that could happen to me for the rest of the season because it put me in this fight or flight mentality to where I just could not relax... It was awesome. I'm thinking about maybe getting hurt every All-Star break."
-- Mazzulla on "Pardon My Take" about tearing his meniscus.
“When he won coach of the month, I said ‘Hey, congratulations.’ And he just looked at me and said, ‘Nobody cares.’”
“It’s beautiful.”
-- Mazzulla on no Celtics players being finalists for awards.
"Save yourself the rest of the question. I don't really care."
-- Mazzulla on the Pacers trading for Pascal Siakam.
“I was waiting to see what he (Jayson Tatum) was going to do. I was kind of excited about the whole situation. I enjoyed watching it.”
-- Mazzulla on the dust-up after Caleb Martin's hard foul on Jayson Tatum during the 2024 NBA playoffs.
