Celtics’ Strong Response to Joe Mazzulla News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated Apr 2, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics went through a slump in January that made some people question whether they were up to the task of winning it all for a second straight year.

But they have won 24 of their last 28 games and placed a stranglehold on the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Lately, they have looked every bit like the world champions they were last season.

Boston has been particularly hard to beat on the road. It went 8-0 away from TD Garden and 14-1 overall in March, and those results earned Joe Mazzulla, its head coach, the NBA's Coach of the Month award.

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Mazzulla took over the team's head coaching job for the 2022-23 season after Ime Udoka, his predecessor, was suspended for violating team policies. In his first season at the helm of the Celtics, he guided them to the brink of a second straight NBA Finals appearance, which paved the way for what they did afterward.

Last season, they finished with a 64-18 record and had an impressive 11.7 net rating while finishing first in offensive rating and second in defensive rating. They then lost only three games in the playoffs on their way to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The path to a second straight NBA title will be tougher this time around, but the Celtics look like they're ready.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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