BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla, the stoic 34-year-old first-year head coach of the NBA championship favorite Celtics, did not crack a smile on the podium in the afterglow of his first career win, but he did crack a joke.
With four minutes remaining on opening night and his team firmly holding a 13-point lead against the Philadelphia 76ers, Mazzulla issued his first coach's challenge. As officials reviewed a foul call against Celtics veteran Al Horford that they would eventually overturn, Mazzulla gathered his team in a huddle.
"I said, 'The most important thing is, don't listen to anything I'm saying,'" he deadpanned.