Celtics
“We did one at the beginning of the year. We’re gonna end with one.”
![BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 17: Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics speaks to media after defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 during Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts.](https://bdc2020.o0bc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/V23IXAKMB6NHJRCZEQNM2LZPBQ-66749b9c6640a-768x432.jpg)
Joe Mazzulla and the rest of the Celtics will be serenaded with cheers Friday morning as a column of duck boats carry the NBA’s latest champions from TD Garden to Boylston Street as part of Boston’s latest title parade and celebration.
But this will not be the first time that Mazzulla and the rest of his staff will be perched atop the iconic amphibious vehicles for a drive through Boston.
Speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Thursday, Mazzulla admitted that he took Boston’s entire coaching staff on a duck boat tour before the 2023-24 season commenced.
With several new additions to his coaching staff like Charles Lee and Sam Cassel, Mazzulla wanted to organize a staff-wide retreat in order to get his personnel to bond.
Rather than opt for a spot outside of the city, Mazulla harped on the need for his coaches to learn more about the city that the Celtics were trying to win a title for.
And considering the championship aspirations that the 2023-24 Celtics entered the year with, Mazzulla was well-aware that a preseason duck boat trek could be a prophetic move if Boston won Banner 18.
“We kind of spoke it into existence,” Mazzulla said. “I was like, ‘We’re gonna start the season with the duck boat tour.’ The staff took one — on most coaching retreats guys go away, go to Cape Cod, go to different places, we had our coaches retreat in downtown Boston. We had new staff members and we were creating this identity of building a connection to the city and I said, ‘We’re doing our staff retreat in Boston.
“We’re going to dinner in Boston, we’re going to Boston hotel and we’re gonna do the duck boat tour so we can understand the city and the history. We need to know what this is really all about.’ We did one at the beginning of the year. We’re gonna end with one.”
Fair to say, Mazzulla expects a bit more fanfare for him, his coaching staff, and the rest of the Celtics when they hop on the duck boats once again on Friday morning.
“I’m really excited to see how the people support the players; that’s going to be awesome,” Mazzulla said. “The coolest thing about coaching is watching a group of guys sacrifice everything, which I think our guys did.
“I thought it went under-appreciated — the mindset, the humility, the sacrifice that the guys did throughout the season. And it’s going to be really fun to watch them enjoy that.”
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