Why Celtics' Joe Mazzulla welcomed 'morgue' environment after Pelicans win
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BOSTON — The Boston Celtics are a respectable 5-2 in their last seven games after earning a 120-119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night. Boston also owns the third-best record in the NBA, but Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t expecting any mention of that (or praise in general) when he stepped into the press room.
Following the tight contest, Mazzulla faced questions about the Celtics’ narrow win and lackluster performance against a shorthanded Pelicans squad. The New England native was prepared for this though, and claimed he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“It sounds like a morgue in here,” Mazzulla stated during his postgame press conference. “And that’s how it should be because of where we’re trying to get to. So, it’s the ultimate compliment, and we just continue to work through it.”
The now 8-32 Pelicans have the second-worst record in the Association, yet their talent exceeds that of a typical lottery team. However, that shouldn’t excuse the Celtics’ uninspiring finish against them.
With 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston held a comfortable 120-115 lead. Then, Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray notched a putback layup with 15 seconds left and Celtics star Jayson Tatum missed two free throws on the other end. Things got worse for the C’s, as Pelicans guard CJ McCollum netted two free throws and Celtics guard Derrick White committed a rare five-second violation shortly after.
Here's the five-second violation in question: https://t.co/VqsS3zo399pic.twitter.com/Wmhz8yjP5U
— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) January 13, 2025
This gave New Orleans—down just one point—the ball, seven seconds on the clock, and a real chance to escape Beantown with an upset win. But, McCollum’s potential game-winning floater went in and out of the rim on the final possession and the Celtics avoided catastrophe.
— HHTVids (@HHTVids) January 13, 2025
Mazzulla was proud of his guys’ effort and told the media that a discussion of the Celtics’ shortcomings in the wake of a win speaks to the high standards the reigning champions must live up to.
“I would say the ultimate compliment is that we’re 28-11 and these are the types of conversations that we’re having,” he said. “So, it’s a beautiful place to be in. I’m serious. I think it’s great. It’s a great standard and a great expectation to have, and we have to deliver. And so, we all know that. That’s the process towards it.”
Boston went 64-18 during the 2023-24 regular season and a remarkable 16-3 en route to its 18th championship in franchise history. Numbers like that explain why expectations are so high for the Celtics, who, despite currently holding the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, heard boos on Friday evening following a 114-97 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
“We’re at a spot right now—28-11, third-best record in the league—where we don’t necessarily feel great about how we’re playing. But the positive thing is, we know we can play a lot better,” Tatum admitted. “There’s so much room for improvement so having the third-best record in the league and feeling like there’s so much more that we can get better at is a positive way to look at things.”
Jayson Tatum on the ugly win and how the Celtics still can improve upon their 28-11 record:
"We take a win any way we can get it … the positive thing is we know we can play a lot better. So much room for improvement." pic.twitter.com/CEBvZqJEmj
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 13, 2025
Although Tatum came up short at the charity stripe, he was excellent overall against the Pelicans. The five-time All-Star posted a game-high 38 points and grabbed 11 boards in 36 minutes of play. In addition, his 10 points in the fourth quarter alone were more than any other player.
Yet, just like the Green Team, he knows he can be better. The C’s are an impressive 10-1 in games following a loss, however, they’re hoping to avoid having to constantly bounce back by stringing wins together instead. And they’ll have to do just that to catch the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers, who are an astounding 33-5 and 5.5 games ahead of Boston in the Eastern Conference standings.
Back-to-back wins are certainly in the realm of possibility for the Celtics. Up next, they head north to take on the 8-31 Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Boston will try to use this divisional matchup to break its two-game streak of shooting under 30% from deep and to assert its dominance over a struggling squad.
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