The team mentality for the Boston Celtics is to not strive for perfection, because being perfect is impossible. Instead, coach Joe Mazzulla seeks for the team to be aware of what level they're playing at and, more importantly, how to get to the level they should be playing at.
Assessing the Celtics at the midway point of the season
“Don't get caught up in trying to be perfect,” he said. “Just constantly have an awareness of, 'Are we playing the way we should be playing or are we not, and how quickly do we get back to that?’"
As for buying into that mentality, Jaylen Brown says, "I've been on some great teams, and we've had some great locker rooms, and this marks up with one of the best groups and teams in character that we've had. You know, we all get along. It's a good atmosphere. We got guys that come to work every day that are trying to improve and get better."
Despite this team being incredibly talented, the main difference from past seasons has been mentality.
When reflecting on why the loaded 2018-19 Celtics failed, former Celtic Gordon Hayward recently said on Podcast P with Paul George, "In my eyes it was just, we all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one. Not to blame anyone either, because I think it was all human nature."
When you have everyone trying to live up to high expectations, it can often get in the way of success. According to Mazzulla, "When you play for the Celtics, there's a ton of records, traditions, great players, and if you chase them all, you're bound to let yourself down. The healthiest relationship to have with success is to understand that we can still get better."
The Celtics are the current favorites to win the NBA championship this season. They have the best record in the NBA (32-9) and are undefeated at home (20-0). They have the most talented and complete roster in the league.
Is Mazzulla's philosophy overrated, or is it an intangible that will lead the Celtics to Banner 18? For now, Jaylen Brown says, "This is the part of the regular season where you gotta embrace it because you can get complacent or mentally checked out. We're trying to make sure that we're all engaged. This is where you build the endurance for a long playoff run."