Before Joe Mazzulla led the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals, a few things had to happen. First, he had to coach at the Division II level in the NCAA. Then, Mazzulla had to get hired by the Celtics. Next, Ime Udoka had to get caught in some hot water and Mazzulla had to adapt as he was thrust into the role of head coach. He made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in his first year with Boston, but some things still needed to happen.
After that first season, Mazzulla brought in assistants like Charles Lee and Sam Cassell. Finally, the Celtics raised their 18th banner this year. All of these were effective moves, but they weren't the defining moment of the Celtics championship season. The real defining moment is 125 minutes long and hit theaters in 2010. That's right. We're talking about The Town.
According to reports, Mazzulla watches The Town four times a week and credits the movie's mindset for helping his team succeed. He showed Jayson Tatum scenes from The Dark Knight to work on 'handling expectations and pressure.' On top of that, footage of Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 was deemed mandatory pre-game film for the Celtics.
Since Mazzulla is officially the youngest coach to win an NBA title since 1970, perhaps he's onto something with these movies. Assuming Mazzulla wants to repeat the championship experience, here are three movie scenes he should show the Celtics before the start of next season.
3. The Fight Scene - Step Brothers
Prior to winning the NBA Finals this season, Boston had fought only to come up short in the past. They lost to the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to the Golden State Warriors when they finally made it to the Finals in 2021. After all the Celtics have been through as a team, this scene perfectly describes the Celtics' redemption arc. It also describes how they dominated the Eastern Conference during the 2023-24 season.
At the end of the scene, Brennan tells Dale, "I guess this is what it feels like to grow up." It's undeniable. Boston has grown up, and it's not looking good for the rest of the Eastern Conference.
2. I See Everything Scene - Limitless
After winning the championship, Mazzulla joined the Lowe Post podcast. He talked about studying the science of timeouts and learning how to maximize them to the best of his ability. "The science of a timeout is one of the most important things in managing the game." He said, explaining, "I watch every timeout called in the last five minutes of an NBA game."
He's not just talking about Celtics games, either. He's talking about every NBA team, every game. He talked about how the Celtics video guy would make an edit of each timeout that was called. This screams Bradley Cooper's character in Limitless. Can't you picture Mazzulla showing the Celtics this clip and demanding that same type of focus and anticipation next season?
If you haven't seen it, Limitless is about a guy who discovers this drug that allows him to fully use his brain. He becomes extremely successful and one of the reasons for his success is the fact that he is always ahead of his competitors. Just for fun, here's a reminder of what Boston's GM Brad Stevens said the night they won the Finals.
Per @KeithSmithNBA on Twitter/X:
Sounds familiar, right?
1. Bruise On The Leg Scene - Miracle
There will be bumps and bruises in an 82 game season. But, if your team is lucky enough to make it to the NBA Finals, they will have to play at least 16 more games, which can only increase the chances of players getting hurt. Besides Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics didn't have too many injuries to deal with this postseason. However, in light of the long hours these players put in this season and the challenge that awaits the Celtics next season, this clip could be helpful to have in one's back pocket. All in all, it's just flat out inspiring.