Through the season and playoffs, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has taken a lot of criticism regarding decisions and the lack of urgency he’s displayed from the NBA “experts” and some media.
After the Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6, Boston guard Marcus Smart spouted “rightfully so” when questioned about the criticism Mazzulla has faced. The two words raised quite a few eyebrows.
Does Smart not believe in his coach?
Smart clarified what he meant after Boston’s practice on Saturday, per MassLive.com’s Souichi Terada.
“Rightfully so in the matter of the fact of, just like us, when we go out there and we don’t play as good a game, or we don’t do things that we know we’re capable of or we should be doing, we get held accountable,” Smart said. “Joe’s not on the court. So he gets held accountable differently than we do, and that’s with certain things that he might do or might not do.”
Smart has been vocal about how the players support Mazzulla and how both have grown through the adversity.
“At the end of the day, it’s his decision,” Smart said. “If it works, we don’t say nothing. If it doesn’t, then obviously you have to look at it. That’s the fun of taking the criticism and moving on, being coachable, being able to learn. The great players, the great coaches, they’re able to learn. Even if they make a mistake, they don’t let it deter him. They keep going and they learn from it.”
At the end of the day, Smart breaks it all down in one simple statement.
“Joe loves us. We love Joe. We believe in Joe. And Joe believes in us.”
If the C’s can defeat the Sixers in the decisive Game 7 on Sunday afternoon, they will advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the Miami Heat.
