Robert Parish, the former Celtics great and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, has lauded Joe Mazzulla for his performance as coach of the Boston Celtics. Parish, who won three championships with Boston, made the comments while on a tour promoting his book, ‘The Chief’. He believes Mazzulla is leading the franchise towards another era of title contention.
Parish’s Admiration for Mazzulla
Parish and Mazzulla met for the first time on Wednesday at TD Garden before the Celtics hosted the Warriors. Their handshake reportedly lasted much longer than most. Parish said to Mazzulla, “I want to commend you for the job that you’re doing”.
Parish had already grown to respect Mazzulla from afar. He noted that Mazzulla is “serious,” adding that it reminds him of Bill Fitch with “that tough love”. Parish also said, “Even though he obviously has people skills, because if he didn’t have the people skills, I don’t think his players would buy into his philosophy, his concepts the way that they have.”
Mirroring Championship Qualities
Parish sees similarities between the current Celtics team and the championship squads of the 1980s. “I think the two eras’ coaching philosophies, or whatever you want to call it, mirror one another,” Parish stated. “They have the right coach in place. Because that’s where it starts: with the coach. And the team has definitely taken on Joe’s personality: that toughness, grinding out on both ends of the court, take no prisoners (mentality). I like the fact that another area they mirror us in, they play hard, they play smart and they play together. And I like that.”
Defensive Identity and Team Contribution
Parish believes the Celtics have rediscovered their defensive identity. “Unfortunately, Jayson (Tatum) went down (with a torn Achilles), but – don’t take this the wrong way – I think it might have been a good thing because the Celtics right now got their defensive identity back. And that’s when they won the championship, when they understood the benefits and the rewards of playing defense. And that’s what this team is doing now. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why they are successful, other than taking on the coach’s personality. Because he don’t take no crap, and these Celtics don’t take no crap. So, I like that about them.”
Parish also highlighted the importance of player contribution throughout the team. “So, I definitely think Joe has people skills because I think it’s very important to give those guys that don’t play a lot, give them some love, make them feel important, make them feel wanted, make them feel like they’re going to contribute at some point. So, stay ready. It seems like these guys realize, and it feels that Joe subscribes to this philosophy: Don’t give me a reason not to play you. And those guys seem to stay ready one through 13. Everybody comes in and contributes, and there’s no drop off when the bench comes into t