It’s all love for the defending NBA champs. Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla cleared the air after a video of him went viral from the Celtics’ game one win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
After Jayson Tatum hit the floor hard following a dunk attempt, cameras caught a fired-up Mazzulla yelling “Get up!” at his star forward.
All Love Between Joe Mazzulla and Jayson Tatum
When asked about the clip by Bob Manning, Mazzulla explained that his reaction was compelled by “love.”
Joe Mazzulla on what was going on on the sideline in this moment:
“Love.”
(Q: @RealBobManning) https://t.co/R7JBjrZUOL pic.twitter.com/doYkdfHBaD
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell)
Mazzulla, who led the Celtics to an NBA championship in 2024, elaborated:
Joe Mazzulla with more on his love for Jayson Tatum and him telling him to get up in Game 1:
“It all starts with love…I appreciate who he is as a competitor.” pic.twitter.com/nlZUhAyP1O
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214)
“You love guys in different ways, but everything’s built on love, everything’s built on the relationship that we have,” he said.”They allow me to be who I am, and we have trust for each other, but it all starts with love. It looks different in different moments, but I appreciate who he is as a competitor.”
Maybe fueled by that love, Tatum fought through the foul, which was upgraded to a flagrant on review, to stay in the game. A post-game x-ray showed no further issues.
“It’s all right,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “Just fell on it, landed on it. It was throbbing for a second. Kind of went away.”
Mazzulla stayed cool after game one, standing by both Tatum and his team.
“At the end of the day, I’m grateful for the relationship I have with the guys, I’m grateful for the relationship I have with him.
Boston Celtics Begin Back-to-Back Quest With Win Over Orlando Magic
Tatum finished with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to help the Celtics grab a 1-0 series lead over the seventh-seeded Magic. Derrick White led Boston with 30 points, hitting seven threes, while Payton Pritchard added 19 off the bench. Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 36 points after helping the Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in game.
Mazzulla, who guided Boston to a 61-21 record this season — their second straight 60-win season — took over as head coach in 2022. He led the Celtics to a 64-18 mark in 2023-24 and a 16-3 playoff run to win the franchise’s league-record 18th title. The West Virginia alum originally joined Boston as an assistant in 2019.
Now, the Celtics and their head coach will try to ride that love and leadership to another title run. Game 2 between the Magic and Celtics tips off on April 23 at 7 p.m.