The Boston Celtics got a 136-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night before heading into the All-Star break, and it was head coach Joe Mazzulla‘s 100th win as a head coach, which led to Jayson Tatum giving him a game ball in the locker room after the coach’s speech to the team.
Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach of the Celtics for the 2022-2023 season after Ime Udoka’s departure from the franchise. He went 57-25 in the regular season in his first year as head coach, and the team is currently 43-12 this season, firmly holding the best record in the NBA. His record overall sits at a stellar 100-37. The Celtics are aiming for postseason success now, but there is no doubting they have the regular season figured out.
Given the expectations for the Celtics, it will take postseason success, and possibly nothing short of a championship for the fanbase to be satisfied with the job that Mazzulla has done, but the regular season success should not be overlooked.
Entering the All-Star break, the Celtics are six games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, comfortably in first place. A strong performance down the stretch should give the Celtics plenty of time to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference, the whole league as well, and as a result rest their top players like Jayson Tatum to prepare for a playoff run.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown are headed to the All-Star game, then the Celtics will return to action in Chicago against the Bulls on Feb. 22.
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