Longtime veteran NBA coach turned TV analyst Sam Mitchell likened the 2023-24 Boston Celtics to the Golden State Warriors of the late 2010s — sharing that he mocks teams that think they can compete with the C in shootouts.
“It reminds me of Golden State when they were winning,” Mitchell said (h/t Boston.com). “Everyone was trying to outdo them, and I would sit and laugh. How will you surpass two of the greatest shooters of all time?
“They know who and what they are, and they don’t deviate from that. The problem is that to beat them, you’re going to have to create a different playstyle. I could see Boston losing two games throughout the playoffs until they reached the finals. »
“I don’t see anyone in the Eastern Conference who can challenge them. … I could see Boston losing two games throughout the playoffs until they reach the Finals.@SamMitchellNBA on the @Celtiques ????️ pic.twitter.com/OA3iRt9WdJ
– NBA TV (@NBATV) March 24, 2024
Early March, Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports declared the 2023-24 Celtics an all-time team after surpassing the 2016-17 Warriors in net rating. Boston is now #4 all-time in net rating as of this writing.
“Remember a few weeks ago when Kristaps Porzingis said, ‘Don’t worry if we don’t beat everyone at 30 again?’ Well, the Celtics are back to beating everyone by 30,” Ward-Henninger prefaced before saying, “Actually, they beat the Warriors by 52 on Sunday, their 11th straight win and their THIRD by 50 points or more this season – something no NBA has ever been able to do. ” “
Of course people like LeBron James could claim that the Celtics essentially stole Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in offseason trades – although calling Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III and potentially Marcus Smart a “bag of Lays chips” is a misinterpretation of what Boston gave up in those chords – but what Joe Mazzulla was able to accomplish with this group is nothing short of heroic.
Let’s not forget that Mazzulla stepped into the head coaching role a week before training camp in 2022 and took the team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He didn’t get straight C’s and many clamored for his job.
How did he react, you ask? Well, this season he took a group largely unknown to each other to historic heights; integrating two former All-Stars (Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday) into a lineup with two All-NBAers (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown) and a near-star in near-perfection Derrick White.
Coach of the Year isn’t enough when it comes to the accolades Mazzulla deserves for his coaching work this season.
