Celtics News: Joe Mazzulla Sought Advice From Pep Guardiola During NBA Finals

The Celtics head coach got some welcome advice on how to lead his team during the Celtics' championship run.

Feb 4, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts in the first quarter Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

When Joe Mazzulla was named the head coach following the shocking departure of Ime Udoka, he had a lot to learn. He wasn't even one of Boston's top assistant coaches.

He had a rough first season as he tried to learn how to be the leader of the team on the fly. Mazzulla made a lot of mistakes along the way.

He wasn't calling timeouts in the right situations, and the substitution patterns were off. Mazzulla made sure to correct those as much as possible last season.

Obviously, his hard work paid off. The Celtics were able to win the NBA championship. He did a great job of pulling the right strings when needed.

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The Celtics are now trying to repeat as champions after winning the title a year ago. Mazzulla revealed that what really helped him in the Finals last year was some advice he got from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Mazzulla met with him prior to Game 1 of the Finals against the Mavericks. He asked Guardiola what it would take to repeat as champions even before he'd won his first one.

"The biggest thing I wanted to take from him was: What's it like before you win? What are the challenges that come with winning the first one? And what are you like now that you've won?" Mazzulla said.

Whatever the advice was, it seems to have worked for Mazzulla. He has the Celtics as the second seed in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break.

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Boston still trails Cleveland in the East, but they think they can beat them in the playoffs if a matchup comes up. They still have a lot of faith that their starting lineup is the best in the NBA.

Mazzulla and the rest of the Celtics believe that staying healthy gives them a great shot to repeat as NBA champions. That's the biggest obstacle for them to do so.

Of course, there are other threats to the Celtics repeating as champs in the East. The Knicks, Pacers, and Bucks are all really good teams, too.

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Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Reveals He Modeled Coaching Style, Culture After Legend Pep Guardiola

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