As we pass the quarter mark of the NBA Season, the Celtics hold an Eastern Conference-best 16-5 record and sit top-six in both offense and defense.
More impressively, the Celtics are 11-1 when they have their preferred starting five of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis.
Despite the hot start, head coach Joe Mazzulla knows his team is far from a finished product and can’t be content with their early success.
“You never want to be the same team 60 games from now,” Mazzulla said prior to Boston’s 133-123 win over the Knicks Friday night. “If we were to say we’re a finished product, and we’re the same team 60 games from now, then we’re probably not in the best possible position to see different things in the playoffs and have to win in different ways.”
“The most important thing is that we understand that we’re a really good team, but we keep the open mind of we have to get better, even when we feel like we’re playing well, you just can’t relax, we have to find ways to get better, we have to find ways to improve,” the head coach added. “Do we want to be our team right now? Do we want to be there? The answer is no.”
As Mazzulla and the 2023-24 Celtics look to build their identity, one of the key principles is “mindset.”
Since the early days of training camp, Mazzulla has consistently emphasized the importance of playing with the right mindset and is determined to ensure that his team remains focused in that regard throughout this season.
“What leads to winning regardless? That’s the thing that I’m trying to really make clear,” Mazzulla said at practice Monday when discussing his team’s 10-0 start at home this season.
“The things that lead to winning are the things that lead to winning regardless of where you play. The hardest things to do are those things all the time, so we have to just continue to fight for that mindset.”
Throughout the season, Mazzulla has actively sought different learning experiences for his team, all centered around the pivotal theme of maintaining the right mindset— an approach integral to the Celtics' pursuit of success.
One of those examples was the In-Season Tournament – Needing to win by at least 23 to advance to the quarterfinals, the Celtics didn’t focus on the point differential. Instead, they focused on continuing to build good habits.
However, when the possibility of advancing to the quarterfinals was within reach, a new learning opportunity presented itself, and Mazzulla shifted his approach.
“Once I knew the point differential, I told the team, ‘This is a good opportunity for us to work on playing with a lead and building on it because we want to try to win as much as we can, so let’s for the next four minutes try and go on a run here,’” Mazzulla said after the win over Chicago. “Just a small opportunity for us to build some mental resilience.”
“But, you know when you live in Boston, and it’s Tuesday afternoon, and it’s raining, and nobody wants to go to work, but we still have to go to practice? I want to win that day as much as I want to win the In-Season Tournament,” the head coach added.
Mazzulla aims to instill in his team the mindset that, regardless of the circumstances— be it a home game, an in-season tournament game, or a practice on a rainy Tuesday at the Auerbach Center— the team needs to consistently maintain the habits that lead to victory.
Although Mazzulla’s Celtics came up short in the quarterfinals, he highlighted the team's need to see the bigger picture.
“Are we frustrated that we didn't get a chance to win a championship? Yes, but we have to see the things that go into winning a championship are the things that go into winning on a Monday night in the middle of January when no one really wants to play,” Mazzulla said Monday. “We're really fighting for that mindset and that identity. Can things be important all the time?”
Having the right mindset will be crucial if the Celtics want to achieve their ultimate goal, and Mazzulla is striving to not let his team lose sight of that – focusing on winning one day at a time.
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