There isn’t a single person around who thought we’d be here today when the Patriots hired a guy who went 36-44 with the Cleveland Browns before he was hired.
Bill Belichick became a legend, and becoming that requires a lot more than knowing how to draw up a play and push the right buttons. The support system to see a coach through some down times has to be in place, starting with ownership and trickling all the way down to the people in the film room. The assistant coaches have to know what they're doing so they can contribute to and help execute an airtight gameplan. And obviously, the players have to be good enough to see the whole thing through.
Legends do not stand alone, nor are they gifted the title by birthright. They tend to come out of nowhere, driven by a fire that burns so white-hot that regular folk find it almost confusing, even off putting.
Gregg Popovich wasn’t some God in the making when he got the job in San Antonio. In fact, he was running the team as the GM when he fired Bob Hill and hired himself. Then they drafted Tim Duncan.
Erik Spoelstra wasn’t viewed as some wunderkind out of the gates in Miami. There were calls for him to be fired when LeBron James came to town because he was too young and inexperienced. James even tried to lead a coup, which was shut down by Pat Riley. They won two championships after that.
Both of those guys are now the highest-paid coaches in NBA history, rewards for their legendary success. They are uniquely aware of their surroundings, which means they know how to handle the people around them. They are not just brilliant tacticians, but understanding of what they don’t know, and when to cede a moment to someone who does, or someone who needs to feel like they do. They are masters of the moment and true leaders, able to get the biggest egos in the room to align for a common goal.
But Popovich doesn’t become what he’s become without not only draft luck, but one of the best international scouting departments in league history that got them Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Spoelstra doesn’t become what he’s become without Riley’s support and the construction of a developmental staff where just about anyone selected in the second round seems to find NBA success.
Stars have to align for anyone to even have a chance at that kind of success. Nowhere are the stars more aligned in Boston than with the Celtics.
The Patriots are rebuilding. The Red Sox are a mess. The Bruins are close, but you’ll never catch me praising Jeremy Jacobs.
Which brings us to the Celtics, and the top-to-bottom stability that is perfect for churning out long-term success. The ownership group, led by Wyc Grousbeck, may not have the unlimited funds of a Joe Lacob in Golden State or Steve Ballmer with the Clippers, but they spend when they need to spend, and are willing to make bold moves in the name of chasing a title.
The front office, led by Brad Stevens, is full of shrewd evaluators who are able to strip emotion from reality and make the toughest decisions. Moving on from Marcus Smart and Robert Williams took guts, but those plays weren’t gambles. Those were well thought out, calculated moves they were willing to make to get where they needed to be. Their cap gurus, led by Mike Zarren, are among the best in the business at understanding the rules and massaging them to the team’s benefit.
The roster is the best of this generation of Celtics. They have a bona fide star in Jayson Tatum, a second option in Jaylen Brown who is playing as well as most first options in the league, and a supporting cast that, on its own, would probably be a playoff team.
Which brings us to the coach, Joe Mazzulla.
Fertile ground doesn’t mean a sapling will grow into an oak, so even at this moment where there is something tangible to water, there's no way of knowing what Mazzulla will become as a head coach. He’s 86-33 so far as a head coach, a healthy winning percentage of .723. That number will level off some day, but only three coaches in Celtics history have won more than 70% of their regular season games.
There is significant, noticeable improvement in his coaching from his first to second year, which can be seen in not only the execution on the floor, but the resilience to win games they have no business winning. Habits are changing for the better this season, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.
The players are listening to Mazzulla, and what they're hearing isn’t a bunch of rah-rah BS. They're hearing a unique message about the approach to the game, the mentality they need to have, and hard steps they need to take to improve and become winners. They are parroting his messages to the media when they speak, which shows the message is getting through.
That's all well and good, but we all know the difference between a good coach and a legend is winning championships. Doc Rivers won one, which was nice, but he’s not a legend. K.C. Jones won two, but he’s still not at that status.
Legends are greedy. Championships are a drug and each hit just makes them want to chase the dragon even more. Legends have longevity, and even though they may get knocked down, they never take more than a standing eight count.
Mazzulla is a certified maniac who wants to win at everything he does. I couldn't even ask him a question about facing rim protectors without him turning it into a competition. He has the desire.
The NBA has made legend-building very difficult with their new collective bargaining agreement, which makes the collaborative effort behind it even more necessary.
But no one has the chance Mazzulla has in front of him right now. The yellow brick road is laid out before him, and Oz is very visible in the distance. He has the heart, the brains, and the courage to make the trip. If he can make it to the end and raise a banner this year, it can be the first true step in claiming the throne just abdicated by Belichick.