Joe Mazzulla’s first season as Celtics head coach ended on a sour note.
Mazzulla, who started the campaign as Boston’s interim head coach before a promotion in February, helped bring his team to within one win of NBA history. But Boston ultimately didn’t overcome a 3-0 deficit in the Eastern Conference finals, suffering a 103-84 loss in Game 7 at TD Garden on Monday night.
The 34-year-old has been known to err on the side of brevity in his media availabilities, especially after losses. Mazzulla stuck to that theme after the Celtics’ season-ending defeat when NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin asked about his postgame message to the team.
“I love them,” Mazzulla told Chin.
Mazzulla was similarly untalkative when asked about Boston’s approach to the series finale. The Rhode Island native tersely brushed off the idea that the Celtics became too reliant on 3-point attempts, which fell at an alarmingly low rate for Boston across the back end of Game 6 and throughout Game 7.
Next up for Mazzulla is his first NBA offseason at the helm for the Celtics. It remains to be seen if significant changes are coming for the organization, as one of Boston’s premier players struggled to address his future in Boston on Monday night.
