Celtics' Marcus Smart Defends HC Mazzulla amid Criticism: 'We Believe in Joe'

Ahead of the biggest game of his young NBA coaching career, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is getting the full trust of his talented squad.

Mazzulla, 34, has Boston on the verge of a second-consecutive Eastern Consecutive Finals appearance in his first year at the helm. But he has faced his fair share of criticism over the season, especially through this playoff run.

Despite all that, Marcus Smart—one of the team's undisputed leaders—came out publicly in support of his coach ahead of Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon.

"He's been here through a lot of our hard times and our struggles," Smart said. "So now that he has the job, it's nothing new. Joe loves us, and we love Joe. We believe in Joe, and Joe believes in us."

Smart, a nine-year veteran, has spent time under three different coaches in Boston. Mazzulla is perhaps the most inexperienced at such a young age and had never held a top job outside the collegiate ranks.

The former Defensive Player of the Year knows that this season has been a learning process for everyone on the team, especially Mazzulla, who spent the previous three seasons as an assistant with the Celtics.

One of those learning moments came after Game 4 of the series when the coach was criticized after he failed to call timeouts before the end of regulation and overtime.

"Yeah, I mean, it's hard," Smart said at the time. "But the team that we have, the group of guys that we have, we're experienced. And we're the ones on the court. Joe can only do so much. Joe does a great job, his staff does a great job of putting us in the right position. We just gotta go out there and execute.

"I know he takes a lot of the rap from us, but he's not on the court. So we're on the court, and we have to be able to adjust, even if he's not doing it to the standard that we want or everybody wants. We see what's going on, and we have to help him."

Every one of Mazzulla's decisions will be under an even bigger microscope Sunday with the Celtics season once again on the line on their home floor. He'll be comforted knowing he has all the belief in the world from the guys in his huddle.

Game 7 is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at TD Garden.