Celtics' Mazzulla named NBA Coach of the Year
Key takeaways
- Mazzulla led the Celtics to 56 wins in 2025-26 and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
- "That's a credit to the players and it's a credit to the entire organization.
- "In one of our first meetings this year, we met our entire building and said we are going to stick to the process of winning and not get caught up in the external thing.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Mazzulla led the Celtics to 56 wins in 2025-26 and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum missing most of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. Boston would eventually lose to Philadelphia in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
"It's two-fold. At the end of the day, regardless of what happens in the offseason or what moves may be made or what it is, the process towards a championship is the number one goal, and sticking to that process," Mazzulla said on NBC's pregame show ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. "That's a credit to the players and it's a credit to the entire organization.
"In one of our first meetings this year, we met our entire building and said we are going to stick to the process of winning and not get caught up in the external thing. I thought the commitment from the entire organization to sticking to the process ... we obviously fell short of that but I thought throughout the regular season our guys came in every day with a chip on their shoulders. They came in wanting to stick to that process and getting better every day."