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Coach Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics might need a timeout following a difficult Game 1 defeat.
Boston — There is a palpable sense of anticipation at TD Garden for a Boston Celtics championship run. The large, eye-catching billboard that says “Unfinished Business” is undoubtedly the most noticeable reminder. It is affixed outside the structure.
The message reminds me of how the Celtics missed out on a title two games ago. To emphasize the point even further, two of the slogan’s letters are shaped to resemble the numbers “1” and “8.”
There are also unmistakable reminders that the Celtics, led by a rookie coach, are attempting to win their 18th title. When Joe Mazzulla is given national exposure, as he was on Wednesday when TNT commentator Kevin Harlan introduced the in-game coaching interview with the phrase “the youngest head coach in the NBA,” it comes up.
But generally speaking, Mazzulla’s inexperience becomes apparent whenever Boston stumbles in its quest for the championship, as it did when it lost to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in Wednesday’s Eastern Conference finals opener.
Mazzulla, 34, took over a club that was primed for a title but lacked the corresponding respect. His choices are analyzed and, worse, questioned. Even by some of the paying patrons, who beg him to call a timeout from their seats—a common complaint that looms large over Mazzulla and one that he appears to be tired of discussing.
