The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers renewed their rivalry at TD Garden on Saturday night. The storied rivals previously met on Jan. 23, when the Lakers dominated Boston in a 117-96 blowout win.
Since that matchup, JJ Redick's Lakers have only improved, winning 17 of their last 20 games. The game-changing addition of Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks has also elevated LA into serious title contention as they took an eight-game winning streak into Saturday.
Meanwhile, Joe Mazzulla's Celtics have been battling to stay afloat amid injuries. However, the defending champions have still found ways to win, claiming eight of their last ten games despite missing key players.
Despite being on opposite sides of this historic rivalry, Redick and Mazzulla share a deep mutual respect. As anticipation builds for Saturday's marquee showdown, comments from both coaches were shared by The Athletic's Jovan Buha, revealing an interesting connection between them.
According to Buha, Mazzulla once attempted to recruit Redick to his coaching staff after taking over as Boston's head coach in 2022.
Both Redick and Mazzulla have walked similar coaching paths, stepping into high-pressure jobs as first-year head coaches. Speaking with reporters before Saturday's showdown, Redick made his thoughts on Mazzulla very clear.
"There's a lot of great coaches, and Joe's one of the best," Redick said.
Based on Mazzulla's comments from Buha's article, the respect is mutual.
"I have the utmost respect for him," Mazzulla said. "He was sitting across from this table and then decided to enter the arena. I wish more people would do that. So the fact that he did that and wanted to be in the arena just shows how competitive he is."
Mazzulla took over the Celtics in 2022 following their NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors and faced immense expectations in his first season. Though he fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, he ultimately delivered Boston's record-breaking 18th championship in year two.
Now, Redick finds himself in a similar situation, leading a star-studded Lakers team headlined by LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The Lakers are currently in the top-two of the Western Conference, and if Redick can guide LA to a championship in his first season, he could mirror Mazzulla's journey to success.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM.