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20 hours ago
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In the grand scheme of things, the Boston Celtics dropping a blowout 124-103 loss to the Miami Heat does not mean much. However, one would have a tough time recognizing that from the way Joe Mazzulla and his group responded to the result.
The Celtics have locked up a playoff spot for this year's postseason. They've also clinched their division, with the New York Knicks officially out of striking distance to challenge them. With only a handful of games remaining, climbing up to the top seed in the conference appears rather unlikely as well, considering the Cleveland Cavaliers have a five-game lead on them.
All that being said, Mazzulla's team were still dissatisfied with the loss. The Celtics coach made that clear when speaking to the media at the postgame press conference.
"I mean, we're all pissed," Mazzulla said. "We all hate losing and that was my message. It's a good reminder that losing still sucks. So I love the fact that the staff's miserable, guys are pissed. ... We got to come back and do it again the next day, and I think it's great. At the end of the day, [this loss] doesn't have much of an impact, but it still sucks and we're all miserable right now."
Never being satisfied, never being complacent is a great, and never being content to overlook a game is exactly the type of mindset that one would want to instill in a group before the postseason. This is especially true for a team like the Celtics, who are looking to repeat as NBA champions.
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Mazzulla has a coaching record of 204-75 in the regular season and postseason combined, during his time leading Boston. Sending messages like these makes it easy to understand why the championship-winning head coach has enjoyed the type of success that he has with the Celtics. With six games remaining in the regular season, Mazzulla's team should not be expected to sleepwalk through them.
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