Today’s NBA has a ton of boring coaches, but one thing is certain: Joe Mazzulla isn’t one of them. While he’s undoubtedly proving to be a great coach and has already won a championship, he’s left another significant imprint.
Many NBA fans consider Joe to be, how do we put it subtly, a psycho. His direct answers, unorthodox approaches, and seemingly unhinged habits have made him a meme in the NBA community. So, in this week’s edition of Meme Mondays, we’ll highlight some of the most bonkers and hilarious moments Joe Mazzulla provided us with (so far).
The Town and Robbing Fenway
Joe Mazzulla’s love for Ben Afleck’s movie The Town has become a meme of its own. During his time as Celtics assistant, Joe would play The Town a few times per week while doing his post-game work. Along with The Dark Knight and Whiplash, this was his go-to choice that would help him get through his late-night work sessions.
While this is a bit unusual, it isn’t even the weirdest part. The movie had such an influence on the young coach that he often fantasized about heists and regularly quoted the movie.
In a recent podcast interview, he went a step further. He admitted that he recently went to Fenway and that he immediately started thinking about exit strategies. He said he thought he could probably get away with robbing Fenway and escaping without getting caught.
Now, most people who go to Fenway simply enjoy the games and indulge in overly expensive beer and food. But, staying true to what we can expect from him, Mazzulla thinks up the craziest things.
Living That Predator Lifestyle
Stepping it up a notch, Joe Mazzula reportedly showed predator-prey videos to his team before big games to show how they should bring their enemy to a standstill and dominate their opponents by working together as a team.
Most notably, he showed clips of killer whales working collectively to kill their prey and also played films of hyenas hunting down animals in a pack. Things like these only cement Joe’s reputation as a psycho coach and deepen the Celtics fans’ love for him. For us neutral observers, let’s just say we’re happy that he’s coaching a team with success instead of roaming the streets jobless.
Blocking Shots and Taking Names
Celtics fans love Mazzulla for the tenacity that he brings to the games. Many even jokingly suggest that he could suit up and give the team a few gritty minutes. And, to no surprise, we’ve seen Joe’s resolve on the court many times, such as this occasion when he tried to block Royce O’Neale:
What’s even more amusing is that Joe doesn’t only bring this mindset to games and against opponents. His own team has felt the intensity of the NBA’s most psycho coach in team practices. Here we can see the wild Joe Mazzulla specimen playing that Bad Boy Pistons defense in Celtics practice:
Considering that there are a few examples available to the public, we can only imagine how many other times Joe Mazzulla went ham in practice that, unfortunately, weren’t recorded for us to enjoy.
Of course, with the C’s winning their 18th NBA Championship in 2024, Mazzulla’s intense approach seems to be working. All we can hope is for his tenure in Boston to last so that his psychopathic mind can provide us with more gems.
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Featured image taken from YouTube.
