After a dominant 136-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, former West Virginia guard and current Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla picked up his 100th career win as a coach, the fourth fastest to do so in NBA history.
Mazzulla was an assistant for Boston from 2019 to 2022 and was named the head coach ahead of the 2022-2023 season. In his first season, Mazzulla coached the Celtics to a 57-25 record, eventually falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. He finished in third for Coach of the Year voting last year.
This year, Boston currently has a record of 43-12 and sits in first place in the Eastern Conference, six games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers.
After his milestone win on Wednesday, Mazzulla was given the game ball by Celtics’ star Jayson Tatum in the locker room and was talked about by players post-game.
“He’s very underrated. People don’t appreciate who he is and how he coaches,” Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis said. “It’s easy to not give him the credit because of the talent that we have. But he deserves a lot of credit.”
Boston guard Derrick White also spoke highly of the 35-year-old.
“Great guy, great coach and I just love playing for him,” White said.
While at West Virginia, Mazzulla played in 145 games, starting 25, averaging 4.8 points, 2.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game. Mazzulla was on the 2010 Mountaineer squad that made it to the Final Four.
“I think it’s something to be proud of,” Mazzulla said about his 100th career win. “It’s just a testament to the people you have around you.”
