Why Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Values ‘Lessons’ Learned Over Statement Wins

Coming off Thursday night’s 143-110 trouncing of the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s message is clear — for the team to not get complacent.

“This game is really good,” Mazzulla explained to reporters following the win, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “But it means nothing at all in the grand scheme of things if we don’t take the lessons that we need to and apply it to the next game.”

The Celtics didn’t just blowout their Eastern Conference rivals, they handed the Heat their fifth straight loss. A feat Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra took on the chin.

“We faced a very potent offensive team that’s been doing this for several months now,” Spoelstra said during his postgame press conference. “It was a humbling night, that’s for sure. They put us in our place tonight, and you do have to respect the body of work that they’ve done so far in this season. They’re the No. 1 team in the league with that record, and they’re doing it on both ends of the floor.”

At 35-10, the Celtics are the best team in the league, but Mazzulla believes the team is truly only as good as their next game.

“Enjoy it until we get to the plane, and then it’s onto the next one,” he said. “I think the lessons here are what’s more important in the long term. Whether we won or lost here (in Miami) … it’s understanding what we’ve done well and areas of the game we really improved on and fighting to keep those.”

While Thursday’s contest served as a reminder that Boston is the team to beat, Mazzulla has maintained they may be winning in the regular season, but they have yet to win when it matters.

The win in Miami completed the three-game road trip sweep. Boston returns to TD Garden on Saturday to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of a seven-game homestand. The C’s have been dominant on their home court with just one loss in 21 games.