Joe Mazzulla on if this Celtics team is mentally tough enough to win

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla joined Zolak & Bertrand before the Celtics get set to take on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday. Mazzulla discussed the Celtics long layoff and addressed whether or not his team is mentally tough enough to make a run at the title:

Mazzulla: Especially as you go into a new series. Kind of like a little bit of a reset because there's different themes, there's different lineups, there's different sub patterns, there may be different sets that you have to run. So it's kind of like, you've got to quickly reenter yourself into the fight, enter yourself into the new series. So I think that's kind of been the goal of our soapbox and getting off to a good start against a good Indiana team.

Bertrand: Is this year's version of the Boston Celtics more mentally tough, more prepared to win at this time of year? The group has changed, so some of the faces and names are different, but is this team the most prepared to win at this time of year since you've been with the Celtics?

Mazzulla: Oh, yeah. I mean, every year is different because you get different players, you get different personalities. I kind of talked about this yesterday where the leagues, in general, professional leagues — Zo, you probably know this — everything's about timing. Everything's about getting the right guy at the right time, getting a guy in a particular point in his life and career. I think we've had really good timing, where we have a bunch of guys that are grouped together that are kind of focused on the present and that moment right there. I think between the timing of everyone coming together, and I think the focus and the mindset of the players, up until this point, we've put ourselves in a good position. I think that's the challenge is you've got to keep that up.

Pacers vs. Celtics…. No, it doesn’t have the juice that Knicks vs. Celtics would have had. But this will absolutely be the Celtics toughest test of the postseason so far. And likely a lot tougher than a matchup against the banged-up Knicks would have been. As we get ready for Game 1 on Tuesday night let’s take a look at the five players that will play the biggest roles in determining this series. 

You aren’t going to find a bigger Derrick White fan than me. Brad Stevens has put together a longggg list of impressive moves during his time as the president of basketball operations for the Celtics. Still, turning Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, and picks into White back in 2022 might remain his best move. He was arguably the Celtics best player in their opening round series against the Heat and after three consecutive poor shooting games against the Cavs, White finished that series with a strong 18-point performance in Game 5. If White can continue to give you the type of play he did in round 1 and in Game 5, this series won’t last long. 

The Pacers acquired Siakam at the deadline from the Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three first round picks. So far this postseason the trade has worked out. In 12 playoff games he is averaging more than 21 points per game while shooting better than 50% from the field. That is NOT what Siakam brought to the table the last time he played the Celtics in the playoffs.

During the bubble postseason the Raptors and Celtics went 7 games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, in that series Siakam saw his averages plummet from 23.6 points per game on 45.9% shooting during the regular season to 14.9 points on 38.2% shooting. For his career against the Celtics he has averaged 17.6 points in 25 games (his biggest game a 40 point performance against the Celtics in 2022 came against a Celtics lineup that did not have Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, or Al Horford).

The question is which Siakam are the Pacers going to get this series. The one they have gotten so far this postseason or the one that showed up in the bubble against Boston. If it’s bubble Siakam this series will get ugly. 

I’ll come clean and admit that I was a way bigger fan of the In-Season Tournament than any rational person should have been. Sure, it was artificially created by the league but it also gave players an incentive to really care about games that weren’t actually playoff games. And it worked! Players did really care!

I was especially excited for the Celtics to have an opportunity at a dress rehearsal for the playoffs. Some actual reps with this new group in games that meant a little bit more! Unfortunately, those reps came to a premature end against the Pacers thanks to a fantastic performance from Haliburton in which he had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. He was the best player on the court that night. And while Siakam is a two-time all-star, I’m confident in saying that Haliburton is the one player the Pacers have that has the ability to take over games against Boston. If the Celtics can keep Haliburton in check the rest will take care of itself.

Yes, I am cheating a little bit with this one but stay with me. The latest update we received on Porzingis over the weekend is certainly encouraging if you are Celtis fan. According to Woj, “Porzingis is expected to remain sidelined for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals next week, but there is optimism he will be able to return sometime in the series barring any setbacks.” I still don’t think the Celtics are at a point in the playoffs where they need Porzingis to win the series (I said the day after the injury took place that the only team they will need him until the finals and I haven’t wavered on that take). That being said the injury took place on April 29^th, Game 3 of this series is May 25^th, that is nearly a month off for a legit seven-footer.

Getting Porzingis up and running, back in game shape, and confident again before the Finals actually begin is vitally important. There will not be a lot of wiggle room in the Finals. Making sure the rust is knocked off and Porzingis is healthy and productive is one of the biggest goals for Boston in this series.

He is the best player on the best team. Enough said.