Mazzulla offers support for Pats coach
When Joe Mazzulla has gone to visit Patriots training camp, the Celtics coach has had the chance to pick legendary coach Bill Belichick’s brain. But among other things, he’s also had the opportunity to meet Jerod Mayo and spend time with him in the Patriots’ linebacker and defensive rooms during their film sessions and meetings.
Safe to say, Mazzulla was thrilled to see Mayo become the new Patriots head coach, which was made official last week the day after Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways after their historic run. Mayo was introduced on Wednesday in Foxboro.
“I love Jerod. Just his ability to think the game, I liked the relationship he built with his linebackers and DBs,” Mazzulla said of his impressions of Mayo when he’s made those Patriots visits. “Those film sessions were intentional but they were built on relationships. You could really see that.”
Mazzulla and Mayo shared similar paths on their way to become head coaches. Both were assistants before being elevated to the lead role. Both Mazzulla, 34 years old when he was hired, and the 37-yearold Mayo, became the youngest head coaches in their respective leagues. Both are Black, and both are first-time head coaches. But Mazzulla didn’t necessarily have any advice for Boston’s new head coach.
“As far as advice, not really,” Mazzulla said. “He’s been around a long time. He’s coached and played. I don’t need to give him any of that. But he does have my support. I can’t wait to go over there and sit with him and just kind of learn from him.”
East movement
With about three weeks until the deadline, the Pacers struck the first big deal of trade season by acquiring All-Star forward and champion Pascal Siakam from the Raptors, a move that will undoubtedly aid their playoff push. The Pacers sit sixth in the East behind the league’s best offense, and the addition of Siakam certainly makes them more dangerous.
Mazzulla, however, is not wasting any energy thinking about the impact of the trade. He actually cut off a reporter during his pregame press conference when asked about the topic.
“Save yourself the rest of the question,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t really care.”
Mazzulla sang the same tune when asked if his awareness of moves made around the league increases this time of the year.
“No. I mean, obviously I saw it,” Mazzulla said. “The TV’s on in the back, guys talk about it, but it doesn’t really concern me.”
White sits vs. Spurs
Derrick White (left ankle sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) missed Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, but Mazzulla said he has no concern about them and doesn’t expect either of them to miss additional time ahead of Friday night’s game against the reigning champion Nuggets. Wednesday’s game marked White’s first game missed due to injury since joining the Celtics.
But that didn’t stop Spurs coach Gregg Popovich from making a wisecrack about White’s absence. White, of course, played his first five seasons for Popovich and the Spurs before being traded to the Celtics.
“He’s afraid of us,” Popovich joked. “He’s not playing tonight. He’s sitting it out. I had stuffed planned for him. We were gonna destroy him, so he sat out.”
Popovich has been proud to see White flourish with the Celtics and become a legitimate All-Star candidate this season.
“I’m thrilled for him. I love the kid,” Popovich said. “Keep in touch with him and he’s one of the great examples of working through it. Played in the G-League a couple of years. Didn’t even think he belonged in the league. …
“It was mostly a matter of confidence and it took time, but he got there and then when he got here playing with the guys he’s playing with, he took another step. I couldn’t be more thrilled for him. Wonderful young man.”
Al Horford and Luke Kornet started on Wednesday in White and Porzingis’ absence.
Tragic loss
The Celtics held a moment of silence before Wednesday’s game to honor Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack. The Warriors’ game against the Jazz was postponed following Milojević’s death.
Milojević, 46, was a former star for his native Serbia and a mentor for twotime MVP Nikola Jokic. He was part of the Warriors’ staff that defeated the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
“Prayers for him and his family and the Warriors,” Mazzulla said. “I think we were sitting there with a lot of our staff members when we got the news and it just puts things into perspective that it could all be gone any second. So as important as this job is and as serious as it is and how people think it’s life and death all the time, it’s really not. It’s just a really fun opportunity in something that we get to do. But when something like that happens, it’s scary and I think it puts things in a ton of perspective and, you know, you have to value the time and relationships and the opportunity that we get because you don’t know how long you can be afforded to do it.
“So I was definitely, like just, really hurt by that, you know, as a coach, just even thinking something like that could happen to one of your coaches, players or his family. It’s tough.”
Milojević also spent time coaching for the Spurs’ summer league team in 2017 during his coaching career.
“Fine coach,” Popovich said. “He proved himself with a couple different teams in the summer and then went back and coached in Montenegro and in Belgrade. Steve (Kerr) was really, really fond of this guy. I didn’t know him very well. I just knew him during that summer in 2017. Never really spent a whole lot of time with him. But I talked to a couple people back in Belgrade today and they were devastated.
“He’s just such a bright future. It was all there for him. I think this was his third year with Steve and he had everything going for him. So any kind of situation like that, obviously a whole lot of people, starting with his family, are just devastated.”