BOSTON (AP) 鈥� When Celtics guard Derrick White stood in the corner behind the 3-point line of the Eastern Conference finals as teammate Jaylen Brown drove into the lane, drew defenders and flipped a pass toward him, White felt prepared for the moment.
That鈥檚 because Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had simulated scenarios just like it throughout the season.
鈥淚t starts in practice with them championship stations that Joe loves to do,鈥� White recalled. 鈥淚t starts there and then just continue to trust one another.鈥�
White trusted that Brown would make the correct basketball play. He did, and it ended with White connecting on a tie-breaking 3 that ultimately secured Boston鈥檚 place in the NBA Finals and a .
The play may also be a perfect example of how in his second year as coach, Mazzulla has managed to help the Celtics recover from the disappointment of a season that ended on the cusp of the Finals a year ago, to a run this season that again has them four wins away from capturing the franchise鈥檚 18th championship.
White鈥檚 shot, Mazzulla said, is a microcosm of the kind of a team culture he鈥檚 tried to cultivate over the past two years. One that puts details first.
鈥淭hings that you can鈥檛 take for granted,鈥� said Mazzulla, who at age 35, is the youngest head coach to reach the NBA Finals since Bill Russell (also 35) did it in 1969. 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 as small as getting the ball inbounds. But just try to pick little things, that we see on a nightly basis that can impact winning and can affect losing. And, we just practice them over, over and over again until they become second nature.鈥�
What鈥檚 equally become central to the Celtics鈥� success this season is the buy-in to an egoless, team-first philosophy in which individual credit is secondary on a roster loaded with current and past All-Stars like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday, along with White, , and a deep bench.
Meanwhile, Mazzulla has also benefited from working alongside a coaching staff he was able to choose this offseason. That鈥檚 something he didn鈥檛 have last season after being thrust into a job he didn鈥檛 expect to have following predecessor Ime Udoka鈥檚 suspension just days before the start of training camp.
Lead assistant Charles Lee and Sam Cassell have helped Mazzulla tweak a system build around 3-point shooting and defense, which saw the Celtics rank first and third, respectively, in offensive and defensive rating during the regular season.
Those rankings have remained the same this postseason for a team that is 6-0 on the road and 3-0 in close-out games.
But as much as Mazzulla and his staff have been driven home their philosophies via X鈥檚 and O鈥檚, they鈥檝e also continued to focus on the mental aspects of the game.
Last season it was in film sessions that began with Mazzulla showing the team images of sand castles, which he used as a metaphor that even the best castles get washed away by the daily tide 鈥� requiring them to be rebuilt.
It was something Tatum said was 鈥渁 little cheesy鈥� but 鈥渟omething we bought into.鈥�
Mazzulla鈥檚 tactics were on display again during a blowout win back in March over Phoenix. He went viral after he Phoenix鈥檚 Royce O鈥橬eale鈥檚 practice basket heading into a timeout.
鈥淚 saw a guy going in to get a shot and he hadn鈥檛 made one and I didn鈥檛 want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,鈥� Mazzulla explained at the time. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the bench rule. ... If I鈥檓 going to ask the guys to contest, staff鈥檚 going to do the same thing.鈥�
Mazzulla said later during an that instances like that are the foundation of their team culture.
鈥淲e can laugh about it. But at the end of the day I think you have small moments in your organization to set the temperature of what you want to be about,鈥� Mazzulla said. 鈥淲e did that last year and thinking back that鈥檚 an important thing that mindset that we try to bring. That we鈥檙e going to bring it every day. That we want our opponents to constantly be uncomfortable. We don鈥檛 want to give them an edge at any point.鈥�
Holiday acknowledged that Mazzulla鈥檚 style is unique, but one that he鈥檚 come to appreciate during his first season in Boston.
鈥淵ou go with it. You go with the craziness,鈥� Holiday said. 鈥淚 think maybe it鈥檚 controlled madness. I think it鈥檚 definitely his way of preparing us and I feel like preparing himself. And I feel like it鈥檚 been working. It鈥檚 fun. It鈥檚 different. ... Joe definitely brings a spark and some weird energy.鈥�
From Mazzulla鈥檚 perspective, it鈥檚 about forming the kind of bonds that may ultimately bring Boston another championship.
鈥淚 think, one of the best gifts, things that I have is, why I got into coaching is building relationships with guys,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I left college to go to the NBA, most people were, like, hesitant about that because NBA guys get a negative rap as to being able to build relationships with them. But I felt like it was, 鈥楾here鈥檚 a lot there.鈥�"
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AP NBA:
Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
