By admin 
Mazzulla and celtics been tutored how to win a championship
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sam Cassell smiled as he waited near the baseline, waiting for Victor Wembanyama to make his debut in front of an arena packed with NBA fans, players, media, and personnel. When asked if his return to the Celtics implies more appearances by his old teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, he laughed. Sure thing, he said.
When the Celtics arrived at the arena on Sunday to play the Wizards, Pierce strolled to his place along the sideline for a July game featuring players who will most likely reside in Maine this season.
“That’s the only goal,” Cassell declared. “It is aoaching staff and players.” It all comes down to winning the title. In Boston, winning the championship is a tradition. Playing for players that have previously won for us, such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Russell, Cousy, and Maxwell, to name a few. It is all about them. That is what our guys need to realize. It’s a matter of pride.”
Cassell, like the rest of the 2008 team, can’t get enough of it. It turned him into a Celtic for life, and he recalls it as the pinnacle of his career. They became a family, pushed each other, and wanted the best from each other. The flag then rendered their legacies unassailable.
Charles Lee, Phil Pressey, Amile Jefferson, and Cassell did the same, going Summer League and meeting Joe Mazzulla and the players of Boston. Cassell was hired by the Celtics after the 76ers fired Doc Rivers, with whom Cassell had worked for the previous nine seasons. After multiple interviews in recent years, he was looking forward to the new opportunity as he continues to aim to climb the NBA coaching ladder to head coach.
“Right after the playoffs ended, (Mazzulla and I) got together, had a couple of phone calls, and he asked me, first and foremost, if I was interested in coming, joining the staff.” I merely told him it would be an honor, and I hadn’t heard from anyone else. It was an exciting experience, and I believe Joe is an excellent coach. I’m just here to make it easier for them to enjoy themselves. We have a terrific team, and I won’t change his mindset because that’s who he is; instead, I’ll help him enjoy it a little more. That’s all there is to it.”
Cassell emphasized his three decades of league experience, which provided him with understanding of practically every situation and function. His experience with the 2008 Celtics championship team should serve him well as he leads this squad, which is perhaps the most talented in the game and on the cusp of a championship.
Cassell clearly arrived to mentor Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and the team’s other prominent talent looking to break through as champs, so connecting and involving players across the roster will be necessary. They improved as players over their first six seasons together, according to Cassell, but it isn’t enough to win at the highest level. Cassell will emphasize both their continued development and — as a former point guard — passing.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Cassell said to CLNS Media/CelticsBlog. “It’ll be difficult, but being a professional coach in this game is difficult, so I’m looking forward to it.” It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ve got a terrific group of guys with a task to complete.
As a player, I spent my final season with the Celtics… I know what it takes to win a championship. The entire structure of it.”
“This is a golden opportunity for us,” he added. “It’s not easy. I know what it’s like to win a championship in Boston… it’s a life-changing experience. I’ve been out of the game for 15-16 years, yet it’s still life-changing to comprehend what it’s like to win a championship in Boston. That is our motivation to succeed, but it will not be (Brown and Tatum). This is a team sport. This is a group sport. We need everyone on the team to work together, from the top men to the 15th man.
That’s where I know I excel:’stay in the now,’… which means if you only have five minutes, make it the best five minutes of your life.”
Cassell was also Mazzulla’s first hire after the departures of Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, and other development coaches, as well as Ime Udoka. Mazzulla needed to develop his system, philosophy, and principles in a matter of days and then watch it waver in ways that were impossi
Mazzulla relied on Stoudamire as a former player in a comparable job before Georgia State hired him in April, another void on the Celtics’ staff that they attempted and failed to fill before the playoffs. Sullivan and others in Boston acknowledged the year’s difficulties.
That will clear up after a complete summer in which Mazzulla can fine-tune the system, Cassell and Lee can settle into their jobs and meet the players, and those who cho
ose to leave the organization can do so. Tony Dobbins, Celtics Summer League coach and long-time assistant, contrasted the changes on the bench to the roster turnover Boston endured this summer.
ble to adjust in the months that followed.”Obviously, knowing (Cassell) from afar and competing against him is different,” Dobbins said. “I’m looking forward to working closely with him, but only through experience.” (Lee and Cassell) bring a wealth of experience to the table. They’ve seen a lot of things, so they’re looking forward to them. To learn from them, personally. Those are individuals with more expertise and years of service than I do, so I’m looking forward to picking their brains, and the end goal is to help Joe as much as possible. Make Joe’s work simpler. That is what the entire crew will strive for.”Cassell intends to keep the team’s concentration on achieving a championship regardless of the roster’s outside distractions, obligations, and ventures. He stated that you cannot hold oneself accountable for transforming the world. Winning is all that matters to him when he arrives, and he’ll make sure it’s all that matters to the players as well.