Whether a player starts or comes off the bench, this club has a chance to be incredibly good. Following the victory over the Knicks, Brown mentioned looking for Porzingis in screen movements. Tatum discussed everyone having to make a sacrifice, a lesson that Paul Pierce, the MVP of the 2008 Finals, drove home at each of their workouts. Horford received praise from Mazzulla for “always making the right play on both ends of the floor.”
Whatever the situation is going to be — whoever is going to start, whoever, whenever — honestly, I don’t think these guys care,” Porzingis said. “All we care about is winning and playing the right way.”
It all may sound like lip service for this mutual admiration society, but there’s been a different vibe around this team. “Business-like” would be too harsh. Porzingis was just added over the summer and Holiday hasn’t even found a place to live in Boston. It’s been more meet-and-greet rather than cold and calculated game planning because chemistry is tricky thing. Just ask those 2018 and 2019 teams. However, with these Celtics, you can see the seeds of greatness being planted.
“We have a willing team that’s willing to incorporate everybody and we just have to continue to learn about each other and how we can make each other better on the floor,” Mazzulla said.
They appear to start huge or small without much difference. Boston will enter the 2023–2024 season with a redesigned roster and, more importantly, a fresh mindset thanks to a top–six with very few weaknesses and a second unit that is focused on highlighting their strengths. Think about the stories that engulfed this team the past two years: Tatum and Brown are they compatible together? Mazzulla ought to be the team’s coach. Marcus Smart plays point guard on a title team, right?
All of those issues have been replaced by constructive ones like having too many starter-caliber players.
