Joe Mazzulla on Celtics-Bucks Battling atop the East: ‘My Job is to Make Us a Nightmare to Play Against Too’

While the Bucks made a blockbuster deal for Damian Lillard, the Celtics countered, adding Jrue Holiday.

On Tuesday, The Old Man and The Three podcast's official X (formerly known as Twitter) account uploaded a clip of JJ Redick speaking to Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. The full episode will be released Wednesday.

In the two-minute clip, Mazzulla admitted that he badly wanted the one seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2022-23 regular season. He also discussed the Milwaukee Bucks trading for Damian Lillard and praised the current iteration of the Celtics with the start of the 2023-24 regular season right around the corner.

"We've had the best month of preseason since I've been here from top to bottom of buy-in from our top players, from buy-in of our second unit, from buy-in of our young guys, from our staff," Mazzulla said. "I tried to come in this gym as much as I could over the last month and a half, and it was just a different type of feeling. And so if I spend more time worrying about those things and not appreciating what we have, one, I'm doing the players a disservice. And two, I'm not going to be as effective at what we do. So, yeah, they're going to be a nightmare to play against. But my job is to make us a nightmare to play against, too."

Mazzulla, 35, coached the Celtics to a 57-25 record in the 2022-23 regular season, his first season as head coach of the storied franchise. Also, he was awarded the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award for the month of November.

Further Reading

Joe Mazzulla Sheds Light on Plans for Celtics' Starting Lineup

Celtics Excited to Learn from, Play Alongside Jrue Holiday: 'He Understands What It Takes'

Jaylen Brown Reveals Personal Challenge for Upcoming Season

Determined to Deliver Banner 18, Jayson Tatum's 'Looking Forward to Doing More, And So Should Everybody Else"

Kristaps Porzingis Says His Foot's 'Perfectly Fine' and He's Ready for Training Camp

Brad Stevens Sheds Light on Jrue Holiday Trade: 'Wondering If Portland Was Going to Get Someone Who They Would Then Move'

Celtics ‘Eager’ to Extend Jrue Holiday

Jayson Tatum Met with Specialists About Offseason Wrist Surgery

Jayson Tatum Preparing for Point-Guard Role This Season

Candace Parker on Celtics Trading Marcus Smart, Maximizing Tatum-Brown Tandem, Pat Summitt, and the Sports Matter Initiative

Brad Stevens Discusses Differences in Joe Mazzulla Entering Year 2 as Celtics' Head Coach

Here's What to Know About Celtics' 2023-24 Schedule

Dwyane Wade Discusses Jayson Tatum's Next Step, Him and Jaylen Brown's Challenge, Heat Culture, Pat Riley, Damian Lillard, and Life After Basketball

Why Celtics Should Enter 2023-24 Season Optimistic About Most Important Area of Improvement