Joe Mazzulla Explains Celtics' New Identity To NBA Playoffs Audience originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Compared to the last few seasons, the Boston Celtics are pretty different this year.
The Celtics have undergone massive changes over the last 10 months, parting ways with Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet and Al Horford. While Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others remain, much of their championship core from 2024 is gone.
They've been replaced by younger, scrappier and lesser-known players like Luka Garza, Jordan Walsh, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez and Neemias Queta.
After shedding so many veterans, Boston's team has a much different vibe this year, especially after not having Tatum for most of the season.
During his press conference on Saturday, Joe Mazzulla had an interesting take on the Celtics' new identity.
Joe Mazzulla was asked how he would describe the 2025-26 Celtics to fans who may be tuning in for the first time:“One, thank you to the fans for sticking with us and being a part of why we're successful, I'd say is the most important thing. The second thing is I don't really… pic.twitter.com/Vjb0RQkdly
"I don't really know what the ‘25-26 team looks like because the season is not over yet," Mazzulla explained. "We have to find the balance of knowing that we're a good team and knowing that we could lose at any time. The playoffs are very humbling. Anything could happen. Every series takes on a life of its own. What you did up until this point matters and is completely insignificant at the same time. We got to get off to a good start."
Mazzulla is right that Boston's roster is somewhat unproven in terms of playoff experience. For guys like Queta, Walsh, Scheierman, etc., this will be their first real taste of the postseason.
The playoffs are different than the regular season, as Mazzulla has acknowledged. How will his players respond? Everyone's about to find out.
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