Joe Mazzulla Had 'Zero' Joy When Celtics Won NBA Title, 'I Suck At' Having Fun
Joe Mazzulla won a championship in his second season as the Boston Celtics' head coach, but the 37-year-old divulged Friday that the accomplishment gave him no fulfillment.
Speaking to Jay King of The Athletic, Mazzulla said he got "zero" joy out of reaching the pinnacle of the NBA in 2024 when the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.
When asked by King to explain the differences between fun, enjoyment and fulfillment, Mazzulla responded, "I don't know. That's why I suck at it."
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Mazzulla took over as the Celtics' head coach in 2022, and he enjoyed instant success, leading Boston to a 57-25 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The team was even better during his second season, going 64-18 and breezing through the playoffs en route to the franchise's 18th championship.
Mazzulla attempted to explain his mindset to King, noting that winning isn't the main factor in his satisfaction as a coach.
"Just in general, I don't get joy from winning," Mazzulla said. "Not even a championship. … I get the most joy and fulfillment when I feel like it was done right, regardless of if we've won or lost. And that's really it.
"I've left the arena after wins being empty and pissed off. I've left the arena after losses saying, 'That's exactly what we have to be.'"
Mazzulla went on to say that he can find joy in "the misery at times," which is something the Celtics have experienced their fair share of dating back to last season's playoffs.
Boston entered the 2024-25 postseason as a top contender to win the Eastern Conference, but the team fell to the New York Knicks in the second round and lost superstar forward Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles, which could potentially cost him the entire 2025-26 campaign.
On top of that, the front office shed some salary this past offseason, trading away a pair of big-time contributors from the Celtics' 2024 championship team in Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday.
With no Tatum, Porziņģis or Holiday, the Celtics are just 8-7 so far this season, placing them 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Given the adversity Boston has faced this year, perhaps finding a way to get the Celtics into the playoffs would bring Mazzulla the sense of accomplishment he has lacked during his coaching career.
