Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked how he handles the relentless pressure of Boston’s sports media.
His answer? Classic Mazzulla: words don’t hold much weight for him.
Getting a glimpse inside Mazzulla’s mind would be fascinating—watching how his thoughts translate into the words he speaks. It’s not an act; this is just how the 36-year-old, who led Boston to its first title since 2008, truly operates.
The Boston media member who posed the question likely knew Mazzulla’s response would be unconventional. As head coach, it seems like it’s almost part of his job description to address media narratives—and Mazzulla has done so before, even calling them out directly—while also offering statements like, “Well, we’re all going to die anyway.”
That’s exactly what the reporter tried to tap into on Monday.
“I just don’t look at it as personal,” Mazzulla said in a video captured by Noa Dalzell on X. “Because a Boston media member or somebody expecting me to win, like, they don’t have a weapon, like, they’re not gonna come after me if we don’t win — they’re saying words. So, they don’t mean anything; they’re just words. They’re just saying them because they have to say them. You’re contractually obligated to write a 500-word article after.
“They’re just words; you can’t do anything. And so, it’s just a made-up word. We don’t have a pressure. Like, we’re not losing our life. We’re not surgeons, we’re not in the military, we coach basketball for a living. And no one’s putting more pressure and expectations than we are on ourselves. We have a responsibility — and we have an ownership.
“And I ask guys all the time, ‘Would you rather have someone expect you to lose or win?’ Like, if you came up here and be like, ‘Man, I really expect you to lose that game,’ I would be pissed. But it’s like, you come up to me and say, ‘You should’ve won that game,’ it’s like, yeah, that’s what we signed up for. I think it’s just the perspective of how you look at it and the truth of it, you know?”
Joe Mazzulla explained why he doesn’t feel pressure from the Boston media:
“They don’t have a weapon. They’re not gonna come after me. They’re just saying words.”
“We’re either going to win or we’re not — 40 years from now, none of you are invited to my funeral, and that’s it.” pic.twitter.com/kOZG6UQ83G
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 21, 2024
Not entirely satisfied with Mazzulla abiding by the “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” mantra, the reporter tried to reason with the Celtics head coach, saying that words do indeed have power.
“No, they don’t if you let them,” said Mazzulla. “Like, if you allow words to take your personal power, then yes. I don’t allow words to take my personal power. That’s just important. Words, they only have power if you allow them to. That’s what I try to teach my kids. I don’t give a sh*t what someone says to you; did you allow that to have an impact on you? He didn’t put his hands on you. He didn’t touch you. He didn’t do anything. He said something to you. So, now you have a choice how you’re going to interpret that.
“It’s not pressure. There’s nothing that anyone in this circle can do to me that’s going to impact my identity and who I am as a person or a coach. We’re either going to win, or we’re not — and 40 years from now, none of you’re invited to my funeral, and that’s it.”
While other coaches might get swallowed by the pressure cooker that is Boston sports, Mazzulla is too busy reminding us we’re all just here for basketball — and in the end, we’re all going to die anyway.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.