Joe Mazzulla Sends Clear Message to Celtics After Encore to Decisive Win vs. Heat is Blowout Loss to Clippers: 'Handle Success'

Thursday night in Miami, the Boston Celtics earned one of their most impressive wins this season, a decisive 143-110 victory over the Heat. Saturday night's encore at TD Garden placed them on the other side of a lopsided outcome, falling 115-96 to the Los Angeles Clippers.

At 35-11, Boston still boasts the NBA's best record. The Celtics have what's widely considered the most talented top six in the Association and in racing out ahead of the pack, they've established themselves as the hunted.

While it's beneficial for them to maintain the mindset of the hunter, their rivals have acted swiftly to gain ground. The Heat struck a deal for Terry Rozier, giving them a player fitting the profile of the scoring guard they lost out on when Damian Lillard ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks, rather than taking his talents to South Beach.

Speaking of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co., the same day Rozier got rerouted to Miami, the Bucks moved on from first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, hiring Doc Rivers.

Who knows what else Boston's chief competitors will do between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline?

After the Celtics got shellacked by the Clippers, their head coach, Joe Mazzulla, discussed his team following up one of its best performances with one of its worst, noting one of the most challenging things to do is handle success.

"To me, there's no coincidence that the two extremes happened one after another," stated Mazzulla. "And I think those can be gifts when you look at them properly and keep you balanced, and keep you humble, and just keep you in check.

"You're never as good as you think you are. You're never as bad as you think you are. And I think it's important, and we always talk about adversity, but it's -- adversity is always looked at as something negative happens to you. But to me, one of the hardest things to do is win consistently and all the time and handle success. And that's just as hard as handling losing, is being able to handle success. So, I think, regardless, you just focus on the character of your team, and our guys will be, we'll bounce back."

Further Reading

Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Top Heat in One of Their Best Performances This Season

Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Ime Udoka Assesses Tatum and Brown's Growth Since Coaching Them: 'A Lot of Potential That I Haven't Tapped Into'

Jrue Holiday Responds to Celtics Saying He's Sacrificing Most: 'Not Mad at My Situation'

Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So

Derrick White Opens Up About Journey from Uncertainty He Belonged in the NBA to an All-Star Caliber Guard

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'