The Boston Celtics enjoyed an almost seamless path to the NBA Finals last season, cruising through the playoffs with impressive consistency.
They never lost a Game 1, and no series saw them drop more than a single game, showcasing their dominance from the start.
However, as Jay King of The Athletic pointed out, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla predicted ahead of the second round that this year’s playoff journey would be different, requiring his team to confront more adversity if they hoped to repeat as champions.
Mazzulla, ever the realist, recognized the challenges ahead, acknowledging that even great teams face setbacks in their pursuit of a title. Reflecting on the nature of competition, he explained the necessity of handling both success and failure with a balanced perspective.
“There’s been great teams that have gone down (in series), great teams that have blown leads, kept leads, all that stuff just kind of goes into the nature of the competitive arena that you’re in,” the coach said before his team’s Game 1 loss.
“And you have to take the good with the bad if you plan on being in it for a good amount of time. So studying that gives you the perspective you need to get to where you want to get to.”
Mazzulla’s words not only show his understanding of the playoff grind but also reflect the mindset needed to overcome the inevitable challenges that arise in a championship chase.
Celtics Notes: Shot Selection, Porzingis, Waitzkin, Mazzulla, Stevens https://t.co/GavSiNbuY9 pic.twitter.com/b3kNQ0x1hA
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) May 6, 2025
