Boston Celtics Head Coach Issues Defiant Take Ahead of NBA Title Defense

A new NBA champion means a new team to dethrone. After securing Banner 18 for the Boston Celtics, head coach Joe Mazzulla is aware that teams will be gunning for Boston.

Mazzula, 36, is entering his third season as the Celtics' head coach. He was named interim head coach after the Celtics suspended and then ultimately fired Ime Udoka amid an inappropriate relationship scandal. Mazzulla shed the interim label ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season and led his team to a title.

Appearing on the Locked on Celtics podcast, Mazzulla acknowledged his team's new target as they try to win Banner 19.

"People are gonna say the target is on our back, but I hope it's right on our forehead in between our eyes," Mazzulla told Locked on Celtics host John Karalis. "I hope I can see the red dot."

The Celtics dominated the 2024 NBA Playoffs, winning their 18th championship behind a 16-3 playoff record. Boston will be without center Kristaps Porzingis for the first few months of the season as he recovers from surgery to repair the rare leg injury he suffered during the NBA Finals. That shouldn't be a huge issue for the Celtics, as they can start the same five players they started when they won the NBA Finals in June: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford.

The Celtics also extended Jayson Tatum to the tune of five years, $315 million, and signed Derrick White to a four-year, $126 million contract extension, keeping their core together for at least the next few years.

Other Eastern Conference teams such as the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will try and dethrone the Celtics, but Joe Mazzulla is clearly ready for anyone trying to stop Boston from going back-to-back.