What went wrong for the Boston Celtics?
What went wrong for the Boston Celtics?
Coming into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Boston Celtics were expected to dominate. Joe Mazzulla's team had just won a championship and had made light work of the entire league during the previous regular season. Things didn't play out that way, though.
The Celtics struggled to get healthy, with multiple players in and out of the rotation throughout the year, including Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser and Jrue Holiday; three key pieces to the team's championship run.
Furthermore, teams appeared to have the Celtics' number. Sure, they still won 61 games, but there were fewer easy wins, with multiple teams figuring out how to keep pace with Boston, rather than letting them run up the score and sit the starters early in the fourth quarter. Those tough games bled into the postseason, too. The Celtics found themselves fighting through highly physical battles with the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks, respectively.
In a recent appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub, The Athletic's Jared Weiss discussed Boston's season and how the rest of the league has begun to catch up with Mazzulla's brand of basketball. Weiss also discussed Mazzulla's position as head coach and what the team needs to do during the summer as they prepare for a year without Jayson Tatum.
You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded video above.
Watch the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on:
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS
Website: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Brad Marchand regrets about end of Boston Bruins tenure (report)
Brad Marchand is thriving with the Florida Panthers. Traded from Boston at the deadline for a first-round pick, the 37-year-old winger gearing up for his fourth Stanley Cup appearance, and hoping for his second victory. Advertisement As Florida worked their way through the Eastern Conference, Marchand scored four goals and added 10 assists in 17 postseason games. When the Panthers win and plastic rats are thrown onto the ice, players shoot them at Marchand in amusing fashion. He's quickly become a locker room staple. Marchand will return to the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night in Edmonton. Speaking to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, the former Bruins captain shared some regrets from the end of his time in Boston. Marchand was saddened not to get to say goodbye to the fans from the ice — he was injured at the time of the trade — and regretted not living in the moment more at TD Garden. 'When you come to the rink, it can be stressful. You start overthinking things. There's this pressure you sometimes put on yourself. You start stressing about things that you don't need to stress about,' Marchand told ESPN. 'I know that there are moments that I missed out on or didn't really appreciate because I was stressing about other things.' Advertisement Marchand also said he regretted not relishing daily success more as the Bruins put together the NHL's best regular season of all-time in 2022-23. 'We thought we were going to go to the finals that year. We thought we were going to win it all, and then we got pushed out in the first round,' Marchand said. 'You start looking back at those moments and you realize you took all we did that season for granted because we were so worried about going to the finals. We weren't living in the moment.' It was the Panthers that ended that dream, eliminating the Bruins in the first round. Since then, Florida has gone to three straight Stanley Cups. They lost to the Golden Knights in 2022-23, beat Edmonton last season, and their rematch of the Oilers that kicks off this week — this time with Marchand in tow. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boston Bruins general manager provides coaching search update
The Bruins' search for a new coach is underway and it appears they've narrowed down their list. In a phone conversation with the Boston Herald's Steve Conroy, general manager Don Sweeney confirmed he was no longer waiting on candidates who are still coaching in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Advertisement That seemingly would eliminate Dallas Stars assistant Misha Donskov, who was a popular name in rumors. Sweeney added that the Bruins expect to have a coach 'well before' the NHL Entry Draft in June. While the GM didn't name who was in Boston's search, he confirmed the team spoke to Rick Tocchet — who signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. In April, Sweeney said that waiting for permission to speak with potential candidates in the playoffs could present challenges. Joe Sacco was named interim coach in November after the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery. He went 25-30-7 and while Boston missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, Sacco was put in a tough position that only got tougher after the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the trade deadline. Advertisement The Bruins struggled to find consistency and los Charlie McAvoy to an AC joint injury and infection he suffered in the February tournament. This was in addition to dealing with Hampus Lindholm's knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season. Then Boston traded Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle. Sacco's effort with the roster he had in front of him didn't go unnoticed by president Cam Neely. He's among the candidates, as is Bruins assistant Jay Woodcroft. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Latest mock draft has Bruins taking center Boston ‘desperately craves'
The Bruins have a busy summer ahead of them that includes naming a new coach, re-tooling their roster and deciding who to select with the No. 7 pick in the NHL Entry Draft later this month. Boston could address its need for center depth — a position the team has struggled with since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired in 2023. And in The Athletic's latest mock draft, NHL prospects analyst Corey Pronman has the Bruins doing just that and taking Brady Martin. Advertisement 'Martin brings an intense, physical two-way game while also having an excellent skill level,' Pronman wrote. 'He is a potential top-two-line center that Boston desperately craves and plays the way the Bruins like.' Martin, 6-foot center, showed off his skills for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds during the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League season when he amassed 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points. The 18-year-old isn't afraid to be physical and throw his weight around near the boards and in puck battles — something the Bruins have been missing. But Martin's skating could use some work. However, he could develop into a Swiss Army Knife-type player the Bruins need, and many scouts believe he's the type of player teams need if they want to make a lengthy Stanley Cup Playoffs run. Pronman recently wrote that Martin 'has a true hardness in his game' and while his stride 'isn't the most technically sound,' his natural quickness helps him get around at higher levels. More Bruins content Read the original article on MassLive.
