Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics have created a relentless culture of winning

boston – Confetti still occasionally falls from the rafters at TD Garden. on saturday night celtics As he thrashed around, a small piece of paper fell on Derrick White's head. On Sunday, an excited courtside fan collected several pieces and immediately handed them to a boy sitting a few rows back.

The sporadic falling of confetti is a reminder that the Celtics are less than four months removed from a postseason record of 16-3 and heading toward their 18th championship. It's a fitting sight. Peyton Pritchard's Celtics lead by 40 points, and falling celebratory tokens punctuate the lopsided scoreboard.

The night after the Celtics game Defeated the 76ers by 50 points.they led the Toronto Raptors Also out of the building (except for the fourth quarter, when there were very few players who could be on either team's roster). These two big home wins come just one week after a pair of preseason wins against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi.

The preseason dominance is indicative of a sentiment that Joe Mazzula and the rest of the Celtics have expressed since training camp began: Last year's championship was last year, and Boston has a championship this season. No ship hangovers.

So far, that's been the case regardless of who was on the floor. On Sunday, a lineup featuring Jordan Walsh, Lonnie Walker IV, Sam Hauser, Peyton Pritchard, and Niemias Queta will face the Raptors, who have two regular-season starters in Scottie Barnes (an All-Star). They took a 20-point lead in the first quarter. star) and Jakob Poeltl.

Jordan Walsh, who spent most of last season in the G League, capitalized on his start to the preseason with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Most of the Celtics' rotation was out, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Luke Kornette and Xavier Tillman sidelined. The Celtics tightened up their defense to secure the victory.

“Being here I know what the standards are,” Walsh told reporters after the game. “We know our responsibility as Celtic people, our responsibility to defend.”

It all starts with Joe Mazzula and his coaching staff. They are a young, analytical group who together have created winning offensive and defensive systems.

Mazura ball as is become known colloquiallyteeth 3 point heavy offense It focuses on being easy to read, creating a two-on-one advantage, and emphasizing the unmistakable connection between defense and offense. Although the principles are relatively simple, the scheme is complex, and the correct reading is the result of a vast number of calculations that players have learned to incorporate into their decision-making.

Last year, the Celtics outscored their opponents by 10.7 points per game using the Mazura Ball, the fifth-highest point differential in NBA history. They also ran and scored the most efficient offense in NBA history. 122.2 points For every 100 possessions, second best defense In the league.

In the domestic media, much of the victory was due to the sheer talent on the roster, and while there was certainly no shortage of talent, an underrated part of last year's success was that the team barely missed a beat without key players. It was something I didn't show. players.

In 2023-24, the Celtics were 21-4 without Kristaps Porzingis, 7-1 without Jayson Tatum and 12-0 without Jaylen Brown. And last season, it wasn't the star players who had the league's highest net ratings, but two Celtics bench players. Sam Hauser (+14.2), Peyton Pritchard (+13.6), Derrick White (+12.5) and Luke Kornette (+12.1) round out the top four in individual ratings.

So far this preseason, the Celtics have Outscored the opponent by 20.5 points No other team has a net rating higher than +8.9. Through four games, they had the league's best offensive rating. Peyton Pritchard once again boasts the second-highest net rating in the league with a +17.8 in four games.

Preseason results say otherwise Really That's important, but the Celtics' dominance is indicative of a larger trend. It's that Joe Mazzula and his staff have so far created a culture that endures substitution patterns and injuries and wins.

Pritchard perfectly balances the pursuit of individual greatness with what he believes he is capable of while playing within the Celtics' system and thriving in his role as a backup point guard. It embodies.

“I have big dreams, but people like to set limits, but I don't set limits for myself,” Pritchard said. “But I also understand what's going on in front of us. We have a great team that can win another championship.”

“At the end of the day, I'm a winner and I want to do whatever it takes to help my team win. I'm not going to sit here and say things like, 'Oh, I deserve better.' I have no intention of doing so. We just won the championship, so I want to do my part the best I can. But if there's an injury or something, I want to be able to step up in that moment and help the team. ”

An undeniable level of focus and an unapologetic mindset permeated the starters who played this preseason. Jaylen Brown made his preseason home debut with “Too small” gesture after scoring 76ers undrafted rookie Justin Edwards;

Brown, who just won Finals MVP and considers it the best summer of his life, had 18 points (7-12 from the field), eight rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes Saturday.

The Celtics' starters faced players off the bench, and for better or worse, they never showed that attitude for a second.

“It's about us. So every time we step on the floor, it doesn't really matter who the opponent is,” Brown said after the win over the 76ers. “We just have to play our standard of basketball. That's the tone we've set throughout training camp, that's our mindset.”

It's still early, but the Celtics appear to have avoided their infamous championship hangover. Nuggets manager Michael Malone lamented the poor condition of his team After three straight losses in the preseason, Mazzula has always praised what he saw in training camp. There is no talk about defending the title. Instead, the team continues to attack.

“The words 'defend the title' are very passive-aggressive words,” Mazulla said. famously said in Check out the Celtics podcast This summer. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don't defend themselves. They're the most aggressive, they're the most aggressive. They think the same way whether they win or not. Win, lose. You have to understand what's involved, pay attention to the details every day, and stay aggressive. You're not defending something, you're attacking a new goal.”

It may seem strange to compare the pursuit of a championship to the animal kingdom, but the Celtics are used to and receptive to Mazzula's unconventional comparisons and perspectives. And they are willing to participate in a grueling training camp to prepare for another chance at the title.

“Joe Mazzula is a psycho in a good way,” Jaylen Brown said last month. “Probably one of the toughest training camps I've ever been through in terms of intensity conditioning, physicality and defensive warrior mentality.”

Jrue Holiday joked that he wished he could have missed camp like he did last season because the early days of camp were so tough.

“I got traded last year and I think I missed the first day,” Holiday said. “I wish I hadn't missed the first day this year.”

In reality, no NBA team has won back-to-back championships since Kevin Durant's Warriors did it in 2017. In fact, since then, defending champion Joe, no team has made it past the second round.

The Celtics haven't even hung No. 18 yet, but through a month-long training camp and preseason dominance, the 36-year-old coach has built a system that will give the Celtics similar results. is clear. No matter who is playing, no matter who you are playing against, you have the same chance as anyone.