Joe Mazzulla’s strong first season at the helm of the Boston Celtics won’t come with the NBA Coach of the Year award attached to it.
Mazzulla was one of three finalists up for the recognition, but lost out on the hardware to Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown, who won by unanimous decision, a first in NBA history. Mazzulla finished third in the voting behind Brown and Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault as Mazzulla received 18 second-place votes and 23 third-place votes. A Celtics coach hasn’t won the award since Bill Fitch in the 1979-80 season.
The 34-year-old Mazzulla, who was the youngest head coach in the NBA this season and didn’t have any previous head coaching experience in the league, unconventionally took over the Celtics right before training camp on an interim basis amid turmoil following the Ime Udoka scandal. Mazzulla helped steer the ship and guided the Celtics to the second-best regular-season record in the NBA at 57-25 and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics clearly were happy with Mazzulla’s performance as in mid-February, they removed the interim label and named him the 19th head coach in the franchise’s history.
Mazzulla downplayed the recognition of just being a Coach of the Year finalist as he felt the Celtics positioned him to thrive.
“It’s a reflection of the staff and the players,’ Mazzulla said prior to the Celtics opening up the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. “The organization is foundationally set for success because of the process, because of the history and tradition. If it wasn’t for them, then it wouldn’t be possible.”
Mazzulla probably won’t get too hung up on not winning the award, especially as the Celtics are in the middle of their opening-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
