Joe Mazzulla is one of the best head coaches in the NBA, but even the best coaches make mistakes sometimes.
According to former Boston Celtics player Luke Kornet, Mazzulla made a pretty big one right after Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Celtics had just beaten the Dallas Mavericks on the road to go up 3-0 in the series, putting them one win away from a championship. Naturally, Boston players were excited and hyped coming into the locker room after the game.
According to Kornet during a recent interview, however, Mazzulla killed the mood by saying they hadn't really accomplished anything yet and shouldn't be celebrating.
The Celtics were excited after going up 3-0 in the Finals, but Joe Mazzulla said they hadn’t accomplished anything.
When Boston lost Game 4, he apologized to the team:
“That just meant a lot to me in terms of being able to recognize that you made a mistake,” Luke Kornet said. pic.twitter.com/ZaT2cXnK20
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 16, 2026
On the one hand, one can see why Mazzulla wanted to keep his players focused and prevent them from getting complacent. On the other hand, it probably wasn't the right time or place for that kind of message, which would have made more sense the following day after the Cetics had time to celebrate a hard-earned win.
Either way, Mazzulla's comments and failure to read the room briefly backfired, as Boston got blown out in Game 4 before finishing off the series at home in Game 5.
To his credit, though, Mazzulla recognized his mistake and apologized to the team after Game 4, realizing the error of his ways. After all, it was his first time as a head coach in an NBA Finals, and it's hard to know what to say to your team to keep them motivated after going up 3-0.
Regardless, Kornet said he appreciated Mazzulla for having the courage to admit his mistake to the team and learn from it.
"That just meant a lot to me in terms of being able to recognize that you made a mistake," Kornet said.
It ended up being a minor blip in the Celtics' title run, but it's telling that that moment still stands out to Kornet nearly two years later.
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