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BRIGHTON — This regular season was the worst Joe Mazzulla has ever had. Since taking over the lead seat in 2022, the Boston Celtics have never won fewer than 57 games under his leadership.
This year, they won 56 games.
They won 56 games after losing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet in free agency. And after losing Jayson Tatum for 62 of the team’s 82 games.
But none of that matters anymore.
Or, does it?
The playoffs are a two-headed monster. Well, in reality, they are much more than that. But the breakdown can be split into two separate thoughts.
“It's the same in the fundamentals and the execution. What's different is the intensity, and obviously the stakes,” Mazzulla said at practice on Thursday night. “And so, when you have to execute details and be disciplined under higher amounts of duress, it requires another level of physicality and mindset that you have to get through. And so, we can't be distracted by the things that we can't control, is what we're saying.”
On the surface, Jaylen Brown’s MVP-caliber campaign led the way for Boston this season. Derrick White’s All-Defensive season. Payton Pritchard’s isolation dominance. Neemias Queta’s meteoric rise to being a top-10 center in the NBA. The collective development of Boston’s bench mob.
But it was the defensive adjustments. Shifting from a one-on-one, 3-point prevention defense to a concerted effort to protect the paint. Allowing more flexibility for mid-range buckets. Integrating more off-ball actions. Crashing the offensive glass.
Everything that has gotten Boston to this point will help it get over the hump in the postseason. And having Tatum back in the fold will only accentuate all of those fundamental changes.
In the postseason, it’s all about continuing to elevate those already-set-in-stone standards while adjusting to the opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
“That's the great thing about the playoffs. Everybody kind of knows what you want to do,” White said. “And then you always make those little adjustments throughout a game, throughout a series. And so, obviously, different matchups, you got different things, different responsibilities. Obviously, we don't know who we're going to play yet, but just kind of figure out different ways to take advantage of what they might not do well and just try to get a stop.”
If the Celtics meet the Philadelphia 76ers, focus will go into stopping Tyrese Maxey’s self-created fast breaks. VJ Edgecombe’s pockets of scoring greatness. Andre Drummond’s work on the glass.
If it’s the Orlando Magic who come to town, it will be Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner’s drives to the basket. Getting around Jalen Suggs’ ball pressure. Forcing unwilling shooters into taking shots.
Yet what’s almost more important than those tweaks will be sticking to what has made the Celtics successful all season.
“You still have to rebound, you have to run back on defense, you have to defend without fouling, you have to screen, you have to know your personnel, you have to be able to execute, you gotta be able to read two-on-ones. All that stuff. That's no different than a pick-up game,” Mazzulla said. “What changes is the physicality that you have to do it with, but also the intensity. And so, that's the piece that we have to be ready to bring.”
Boston’s rebounding has steadily improved throughout the year, helping them end defensive possessions. Queta and White have stifled opposing interior attacks, leading the Celtics’ league-best paint defense.
Internally, the Celtics have found a formula that works for them, so why abandon it when the stakes are at their highest?
This isn’t this group’s first rodeo. Guys like Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Hugo Gonzalez may be getting their first real taste of important playoff minutes, but the majority of Boston’s guys have been there before.
But that doesn’t mean they’re taking it for granted.
“Obviously, it's a more intense setting, but my mentality is similar. I'm very grateful to be here,” Brown said. “You don't always get promised to be on a 50-win team heading into the playoffs. So, it's been a luxury here, being able to be a part of that. Being part of a few teams that have gone into the playoffs with that type of momentum. So, my mentality is, first and foremost, I'm grateful and thankful. My humility is at its highest, but my mindset, my mentality, is just preparation. Just getting ready for Game 1.”
You don't always get promised to be on a 50-win team heading into the playoffs.
That's the thought of Brown, who will be entering his seventh playoff run as a 50-win team (out of a possible 10 years).
It would be easy for Brown to rest on those past successes. To lean into his experience as a way to lessen the challenge ahead. Instead, he’s choosing the opposite approach.
“It just allows you not to take anything for granted, and it just allows you not to take your opponent lightly,” Brown said of his humility. “I respect my opponent, whoever it may be. We'll find out, I think, [Wednesday night]. And you just prepare for every scenario with the utmost respect.”
Boston hopes to strike a balance. A mental split between the preparation and relaxation. Understanding what’s ahead while avoiding an overreaction to the unavoidably intense backdrop.
There is no evading reality. If the Celtics lose four games in a series, their season is over. That simplicity reigns supreme in the playoffs.
Leaning into that could create chaos. Straying from it could lead to complacency. Boston needs both.
“It's about giving the environment what it needs,” Mazzulla said. “I mean, if two guys are fighting for their life, you don't want to go calmly, go get a rebound. But if you're at the free-throw line and you have to make two shots, you want to be calm. So, it's no different than any other game. You just have to be able to give the environment what it needs, bring the right mindset, be ready to execute, [and] be ready to do it together.”
Over the next few days, the Celtics will learn a lot. They’ll learn tendencies. They’ll learn tactics. They’ll learn strategies. And most significantly, before most of that, they’ll learn their opponent.
But no matter if Game 3 takes place with the aroma of cheesesteak swirling through the air or across the street from Mickey Mouse's house, Boston is ready to accept the challenge.
Doing it with a blend of humility, sharpness, and environmental adaptivity.
All with a deep-rooted understanding of the expectations that come with playing under 18 banners.
“This is what you play for,” White said. “This is what we work for. You put on this Celtics jersey, we know [what] we're going for. So, this is the first step, and it's really exciting.”