Mazzulla Keeps Celtics Grounded Heading into Potential Game 5 Close-Out

BOSTON – An underappreciated factor in Boston’s start-to-finish domination of the 2023-24 season has been Joe Mazzulla’s steadiness in keeping the team grounded. He hasn’t allowed the team to get too high after any of their 79 wins, nor has he allowed them to get too low following any of their 21 losses.

That approach was vital during the team’s recent 10-game postseason win streak in making sure the group wasn’t becoming complacent. And it has come into play following Friday’s 122-84 Game 4 loss in Dallas, as Jayson Tatum explained Monday afternoon.

“I think we maybe put too much pressure on ourselves [in Game 4] to be perfect or thinking it was going to go how we wanted it to go,” Tatum said of his team’s mindset when it went for the sweep Friday night.

“Joe did a great job today of reminding us that it’s okay to smile during wars. It’s okay to have fun during high-pressure moments. That’s what makes our team unique and special.

“We wanted to go for the kill, essentially, and we wanted to win so bad that maybe we got away from what makes us special and what makes us the Boston Celtics. Today, he just reminded each guy why he’s important to this team, why we all need each other, and what each person brings to the table. And I think that was really important for us to go over.”

There’s nothing wrong with going for the kill – Jaylen Brown wants them to keep going for it – as long as the team is sticking to its values and not getting ahead of itself.

“We are at the precipice of completing what we set out to do at the beginning of the season,” Brown said. “Just need to remind everybody that it’s just one possession at a time. We do it together and we fight like our lives depend on it, and I think we’ll be all right.

“It’s going to be difficult,” he continued. “You’re going to have to fight and just stay in the moment. That’s what matters the most. We come out and be a team. Win as a team, lose as a team. Just come out and be the best versions of ourselves.”

Mazzulla is avoiding any type of discussion that strays from the current moment. For example, when he was asked Monday afternoon what it would mean for him to join the select group of legendary Celtics coaches who have won a championship, he tip-toed around the subject, knowing there’s still work to be done.

“That will never happen if you don’t run back on defense, rebound, execute, and get to your spacing,” he responded.

In other words, do what they did in Game 4, and there will not be a celebration after Game 5 either.

Sam Hauser noted, “He does a good job of that, just keeping us grounded.”

Staying grounded is what got Boston to this point – being one win away from an NBA championship. Staying grounded is the only way they’ll be lifting Larry O’Brien into the air Monday night.