Joe Mazzulla Gave Celtics This Reminder Before Game 5 Vs. Mavs

Joe Mazzulla wants the Boston Celtics to enjoy the moment they earned.

The Celtics’ second-year head coach reminded the group of that after Boston was trounced in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, and he continued to stress it ahead of Game 5 at TD Garden on Monday night.

“He just reminded us to have fun,” Jayson Tatum told reporters after practice at TD Garden on Sunday, per a team-provided transcript. “We wanted to go for the kill, essentially, and we wanted to win so bad that maybe we got away from what makes us special and what makes us the Boston Celtics.”

Mazzulla’s message clearly stuck with Tatum and company.

“Joe did a great job (Sunday) of reminding us that it’s OK to smile during wars,” Tatum told reporters. “It’s okay to have fun during high-pressure moments. That’s what makes our team unique and special.”

Tatum shared that Mazzulla also went around the locker room and reminded each player why he’s important to the team. Tatum thought that messaging was “really important” for the entire group.

Now it’ll be up to Tatum and the Celtics to put Mazzulla’s messaging to good use as Boston enters another title-clinching opportunity at TD Garden on Monday.