Joe Mazzulla dishes on bonds with Pep Guardiola, Boston sports coaches during NBA Finals
"I'm very grateful for him, and I'd like to think that we make each other better."
In just his second season as head coach of the Celtics, Joe Mazzulla has not only struck bonds with coaches of the local professional sports teams, but also formed a relationship with one of the top soccer managers in the world.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was at TD Garden for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, rooting on his friend, Mazzulla, and the Celtics as they won Thursday. The trip by Guardiola, who was also at Media Day on Wednesday, was actually a return visit, after Mazzulla hung out with Manchester City during the NBA’s All-Star break.
When Mazzulla made the trip to Manchester City in February, he told the squad that he and members of the Celtics actually watched the club before their games on a frequent basis. So, it was understandable that Mazzulla was happy to see Guardiola courtside for Game 1.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s a great person,” Mazzulla told reporters Saturday. “He’s a great coach. Just humility, joy, work ethic, intensity that he brings. And, you know, we’ve grown to have a great relationship.
“So, I’m very grateful for him, and I’d like to think that we make each other better. So it’s great that he was here. It’s great that he was able to share some of his wisdom and got to spend time with him.”
Mazzulla has actually used soccer, among other things, to influence his coaching style in the NBA.
“I would just say he’s like got a unique approach to the game,” Celtics forward Sam Hauser told reporters Saturday. “He pulls things from, like, soccer teams, pulls things from killer whales and how they go about finding food and prey, things like that, and he ties it into the game of basketball. And I think it’s a unique way to go about it.
“It’s different, cool, and engaging.”
Celtics center Luke Kornet told The Athletic in November that Mazzulla displayed Manchester City during a film session to show the creativity and connectivity of how they share the ball.
“They play with an energy and life that I think is, yeah, you watch them put it together and it’s a pretty infectious style of play,” Kornet said.
Boston has one of the more unique styles of play in the league, at least offensively. It usually will have all five players spaced out around the perimeter, leading the league in 3-point attempts as it often gets looks from players driving to the rim and kicking out.
When Mazzulla answered a question about spacing during Saturday’s media session, he brought the answer back to Guardiola’s Manchester City team, which has won six Premier League and a Champions League title in his eight seasons with the club.
“That’s kind of what Pep has helped me with, spacing,” Mazzulla said. “Very important in transitions how you move those guys.”
Mazzulla’s relationships with coaches in other sports go beyond soccer. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said in late May that Mazzulla has been a “great resource” for him, sharing that the two have known each other since before Mazzulla became the Celtics’ head coach in September 2022.
“Jerod and I got close as assistants, just how would you do things when it’s your opportunity, what have you learned from the head coaches that you’ve worked for,” Mazzulla said of his relationship with Mayo. “And now that we are in this position, it’s helping each other with the transition and the different experiences.”
Mazzulla has also gotten to know Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, saying it’s valuable that they’re all by each other’s side.
“I think as you get into this, you start to realize, once you’re in a position, nobody can really relate to you other than people in those positions,” Mazzulla said. “So you develop a bond with other coaches and you know what they are going through and you know what the challenges are and the opportunities and the situation you’re in.
“So I think it’s really important that we all stick together, me, [Mayo], Coach Montgomery, Alex. You just have to stick together and help each other through it because each of our four coaches have been through it, whether it’s inside Boston or outside Boston.”
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