On June 18, Beijing time, with the Celtics returning to win at home in G5 of this year's finals, they defeated the Mavericks with a total score of 4-1, and only lost 3 games in the playoffs to win the 18th championship in team history, surpassing the Lakers to rise to the first place in history. Celtics coach Mazzulla led the team to win the championship in his second season in charge, and he set a record for the youngest championship coach in NBA history at the age of 35 (he turned 36 on June 30), breaking the record of the youngest championship coach in NBA history led by God operator Pat Riley at the age of 37, and has held the record of the youngest championship coach in NBA history for 42 years.
Mazzulla won the championship at the age of 35, setting a record for the youngest operator in history
In the past history of the NBA, the record of the youngest head coach to lead a team to win a championship needs to be traced back to the god operator Pat Riley. Pat Riley coached the Lakers in 1982 and led the Lakers to a 4-2 overall victory over the 76ers in the Finals to win the championship, when Pat Riley was only 37 years old as head coach.
Now that the 42-year-old NBA history has finally been broken, Celtics coach Mazzulla has finally surpassed Pat Riley, who led the Celtics to only three losses in this year's playoffs, breaking Riley's record of 37 years old for the youngest coach to win a championship at less than 36 years old (currently 35 years old, and turning 36 in 12 days).
Mazzulla went through the process step by step and was crowned the champion coach
Mazzulla has been an assistant coach in the Celtics Development League since 2016 and has since returned to college as a head coach.
It wasn't until 2019 that Mazzulla joined the Celtics coaching staff as Stevens' assistant coach, and in the 2022-23 season, he replaced Udoka, who was "blocked" by the team, as the acting head coach of the Celtics.
However, Mazzulla officially became the team's full-time head coach on February 16, 2023, and he was the 19th coach in Celtics history. Mazzulla's Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season, but this season he led the Celtics to the Finals, where they defeated the Mavericks 4-1 on aggregate.
What Stevens Udoka didn't do is a testament to his coaching ability
Mazzulla led the Celtics to win the 18th championship in team history, surpassing the Lakers to 17 championships and taking the first place in history, and Mazzulla also set the record of the youngest championship coach in NBA history at the age of 35.
Although Mazzulla stood on the shoulders of Stevens and Udoka and led the Celtics to win the championship further, the Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals many times in the double exploration era, and had a Finals experience in 2022, but they have never been able to reach the top and win the championship.
Now Mazzulla has done something that neither Stevens nor Udoka has done, and it is natural that he has proved his coaching ability. Mazzulla is similar to Kerr, who built on Mark Jackson and led the Warriors to a championship. Mazzulla's efforts to build the Celtics into a well-balanced and strong championship team are also inseparable from the past contributions of Stevens and Udoka, especially since Stevens is now the president of basketball operations for the Celtics.
As for Mazzulla's future performance in coaching the Celtics, whether he can lead the Celtics to defend the championship next season, and whether he can lead the team to win more championships in the future and impact the first 20-championship team in history, it is naturally more exciting.