Celtics Hall of Famer Impressed by Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla, and Brad Stevens this season

'The best way to shut up your critics, the naysayers, the second-guessers, is prove them wrong. And that's exactly what the Celtics have done, proved everybody wrong.'

Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla talks to guard Jaylen Brown (7) on a break in play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

When Jayson Tatum went down with a torn right Achilles tendon, a lot of analysts automatically wrote the Celtics off this year. The term “gap year” was thrown around so much that the Celtics seized on it as a rallying cry, and they’ve spent this season silencing any doubts about how good they could be. 

In an interview on the Locked On Celtics podcast to promote his new autobiography, “The Chief,” Celtics Hall of Famer Robert Parish says success like this starts at the top. 

“It starts with the coaching,” Parish said. “Coach Mazzulla, first of all, and let's go a step up higher — Brad Stevens. I like the architect, the toughness, the mental and physical toughness that started with Brad Stevens on down to Coach Mazzulla. And the team reflects that toughness.” 

Parish has paid attention to his former team, and is impressed by the all-in effort from everyone involved. His Celtics have been in situations where they've had to overcome the loss of a superstar, but they always found a way.  

“We lost Larry [Bird] a significant amount of time,” he said. “Kevin [McHale] and myself led the way while Larry wasn't there. Dennis Johnson, all of us, We just stepped up. You're not going to replace a talent like Jayson Tatum or Larry Bird, but what you do collectively, you can get it done. And that's how we addressed that tremendous loss. We did it collectively. Everybody do your job. And that's what today's Celtics are displaying right now. Everybody is doing their job.”

Players love to talk about the “next man up” mentality, but it becomes a cliche for a reason. Parish says the Celtics refusing to buy into the idea that they were in trouble has helped them blast through expectations. So has the leadership of their other superstar. 

“I like the fact that the team has displayed that mental and physical toughness because collectively they have stepped up with Jaylen Brown leading the way,” Parish said. “He's having an All-Star, MVP-type season thus far. Incredible what he has done in terms of leadership. Impressive.”

The Celtics have a long history full of legendary players and teams. A common thread among all the success throughout the years has been incredible work ethic and undying confidence in what they can do. Parish believes this Celtics team is adding to the legend of the franchise by shocking the rest of the league with their success. 

“The best way to shut up your critics, the naysayers, the second-guessers, is prove them wrong,” Parish said. “And that's exactly what the Celtics have done, proved everybody wrong.”

The full episode of Locked On Celtics with Robert Parish will be released Sunday evening. He will be signing books around New England this week. He’ll be at The Silver Unicorn in Acton, MA at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. He’ll be doing signings at 4 and 5:30 p.m. at the TD Garden Pro Shop Wednesday. He’ll be at Balin Books in Nashua, NH at 7 p.m.  And he’ll be at Wellesley Books in Wellesley, MA at 4 p.m. Friday.