Joe Mazzulla explains why getting booed is the ‘ultimate compliment’
"It's beautiful. You should get booed."
When the Lakers announced that LeBron James and Anthony Davis would miss Thursday’s game, many assumed the Celtics would coast to an easy win on their home floor.
Instead, the undermanned Lakers shot 52.8 percent from 3-point range and earned a 114-105 victory. Fans periodically booed the struggling Celtics, and afterward, coach Joe Mazzulla understood why they expressed their disapproval.
“I don’t mind getting booed,” Mazzulla told reporters. “It’s good for you.”
Saturday morning, CLNS reporter Bobby Manning followed up and asked Mazzulla to elaborate on that perspective.
“Absolutely,” Mazzulla said. “Too much praise is unhealthy, but so is too much criticism. You’ve got to have that balance of both. You don’t want to believe all the good, but you don’t want to believe all the bad, either.”
Manning then asked how Mazzulla’s local ties, and pre-existing knowledge of the fan base, helps him manage the high expectations.
“It’s beautiful,” Mazzulla said. “You should get booed. To me, it’s the ultimate compliment.”
Mazzulla said Saturday was about perspective and determining which lens they want to view the season through. Do the Celtics want to look at how they’re 37-12 overall? Or 5-2 in their last seven? Or 2-2 in their last four? Or 2-1 in their last three? Or 0-1? Or 0-0, because they have a game Sunday against the Grizzlies.
He said sometimes you have to look at all the lenses, and sometimes the 0-0 lens is the way to go.
“Looking at expectation as the ultimate compliment, we wouldn’t want it any other way,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a responsibility, and we’re trying to work together to do something that less than 1 percent of the world can do.”
Mazzulla highlighted the connectivity to the fans, even when they’re booing, and said that lets them know they need to be better. He views it as a good thing and a reminder to improve.
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