Even though Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to the NBA’s best record and only lost 18 games this season, he was nonetheless selected a finalist for Coach of the Year.
The NBA on Sunday night announced Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Jamahl Mosley of the Orlando Magic as the finalists.
It’s reasonable to question why Mazzulla was not included in the discussion after leading the Celtics to a 64-18 record, even though the three selections are unquestionably worthy. Boston had the best offensive rating (122.2) and second-best defensive rating (11.4) in the NBA.
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In his first season as coach, Mazzulla placed third in the voting and was a finalist the previous year. Although Boston didn’t have the same level of success as it did this season, Brad Stevens traded for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, two players on the Celtics’ roster.
Though Stevens was the one who executed the transactions to add that level of star power, Mazzulla and his staff were still responsible for making the roster decisions for every game.
Still, it’s probably something Mazzulla isn’t even aware of.
