The new NBA season is upon us and fans are eagerly anticipating the toughest and most exciting season ever. So are the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, who are aiming to be the first team since the Golden State Warriors to defend their title.
However, the man leading and coordinating the charge, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, doesn’t necessarily agree with the word ‘defending’ as his pack of ‘aggressive’ C’s would attack instead. He shared a metaphorical strategy his team will be using on a recent episode of the Locked on Celtics podcast, using the animal kingdom to make his point.
The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most…You’re not defending something; you’re attacking a new goal.
Joe Mazzulla said on the Locked on Celtics podcast
“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term. If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most.”
– Joe Mazzulla
(Via @LOCeltics / h/t @hoopshype ) pic.twitter.com/mikhumoC84
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2024
The Boston Celtics are the bookmakers’ favorite to win the title but an NBA title is won on the court and teams like the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks are right in the mix, all guns blazing. Coach Mazzulla understands this fact, as they start the new season with targets on their back.
Now, the responsibility of delivering title number 19 rests on the shoulders of the squad led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Their title ‘attack’ commenced with a home game against Eastern Conference title contenders, the New York Knicks.
Joe Mazzulla and Boston Celtics’ title hopes boosted star duo’s Olympic revenge
While Joe Mazzulla wants his team to go on the offensive, the team’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are saddled with the responsibility of ensuring every attack lands a kill, literally speaking. And they would be more dangerous than normal after their recent woes at the Summer Olympic Games.
Coach Mazzulla also shared this sentiment when he spoke with John Karalis on the Locked On Celtics podcast. Although, he admonished that revenge shouldn’t be their only source of motivation.
They’re two competitors and they are who they are… So I’m not going to try to figure out how they’re going to go about it. If they want to take revenge on that particular game, that’s great for them… Revenge is healthy and it’s not at the same time… I think it’s a short-term thing, and when that runs out what are you gonna rely on?
Joe Mazzulla said on the Locked on Celtics podcast
The Celtics duo didn’t have the best time after being crowned champions as JT was benched a couple of times even when it was obvious his services were needed. As for JB, he got snubbed in favor of teammate Derrick White when Kawhi Leonard withdrew due to injury.
