Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is facing an intense backlash following his dismissal of the NBA Coach of the Year award nomination.
The 37-year-old coach called it a “stupid” honor that “shouldn’t” exist during his latest press conference after it was announced that he was a candidate to receive the award.
Mazzulla’s Celtics are chasing a top seed in the East, and while his comments may have been aimed at giving most of the credit to his players, the way he said it has been heavily criticized, especially in the context of honoring NBA coaches.
Ex-Boston star blasts Mazzulla
Introduced since the beginning of the league in the ‘60s, the Coach of the Year award honors the best head coach in the regular season, which is decided by votes from a panel of broadcasters and journalists. It bears a significant history, one that Mazzulla isn’t eager to share.
One of the first to jump into criticizing the Boston head coach was current ESPN analyst and former Celtics big Kendrick Perkins.
He has a close relationship with the young coach but called his comments highly disrespectful.
“That is one of the most asinine, disrespectful things that I’ve ever heard, seriously,” Perkins said. “And you can’t say that, it’s disrespectful to the people that came before you, the great coaches.”
The Celtics have been one of the best teams this season especially in a campaign without Jayson Tatum for the majority of it.
The 28-year-old forward returned to full action just last month after going off injured in last year’s playoff second round. Most of the main responsibility has fallen to Jaylen Brown, who is having a career year, and Mazzulla doesn’t feel he as a coach needs to be rewarded instead of the players.
True to his form, he seems likely to backtrack, preferring to keep the spotlight on his players. His focus remains to guide the Celtics to the best possible finish rather than hardware and recognition.
Mazzulla’s coaching philosophy under scrutiny
Mazzulla has always deflected a lot of praise for his achievements. He helped Boston reach the NBA Finals in his first full season and has maintained contention since.
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 26: Joe Mazzulla head coach of the Boston Celtics. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Boston’s front office led by Brad Stevens has built an environment with a culture of collective success, which Mazzulla often references. However, critics like Perkins argue that outright calling the award “dumb” crosses a line by diminishing the achievements of past winners.
As the regular season winds down and all focus shifts to the playoff, the Celtics will look to move past this controversy and aim for a deep postseason. However, the NBA still has to hand the award of the Coach of The Year whether Mazzulla likes it or not.
The Boston head coach is a top favorite but will face tough contention, especially from Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose team is above Celtics in the standings.
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