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Luke Kornet reveals why Joe Mazzulla apologized to Celtics after Game 4 loss in 2024 Finals
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- Luke Kornet reveals why Joe Mazzulla apologized to Celtics after Game 4 loss in 2024 Finals
Luke Kornet reveals why Joe Mazzulla apologized to Celtics after Game 4 loss in 2024 Finals appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
BOSTON — After the Boston Celtics held on to win Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks , it felt like they were on the precipice of basketball immortality. But, according to ex-Celtic and current San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet , Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn't act as if that was the case.
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Instead, he downplayed the major victory in the locker room and told his players that they hadn't finished the job, via "The White Noise Podcast."
"We won that game in Dallas to go up 3-0, which is like a really big moment," Kornet recalled while on a podcast ran by former teammate and Celtics guard Derrick White . "So, we're back in the locker room and everyone's pretty pumped and hyped, and Joe came in and kind of said something like, 'Why are we celebrating? We haven't really accomplished anything.'"
Kornet, White, and the rest of the Celtics were soon reminded of that fact, as the Mavericks hammered them in Game 4 during a 122-94 blowout in Dallas.
Following this disappointing defeat, which Kornet described as the Celtics losing "by a billion," Mazzulla approached his players with humility.
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"At some point after that game, he sort of apologized, recognizing that he completely undercut the emotion of the room after Game 3 and that going up 3-0 is a very important part of trying to accomplish what it was that we were wanting to accomplish," Kornet said.
While Kornet could've regaled White with a multitude of funny, larger-of-life stories about Mazzulla, he stated that this memory with his former skipper was one of his fondest.
"I think that it meant a lot to me in terms of being able to recognize that you made a mistake," Kornet said of Mazzulla's apology. "I feel like something that's great about Joe is he's willing to trust the process and the time of things and the trust that he has in players."
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Mazzulla's words probably resonated with the rest of the Celtics as well, because they smothered the Mavericks in Game 5 at TD Garden en route to their first championship in over 15 years.
That title cemented Kornet and White as true winners, and it certainly helped the former ink a four-year, $40.7 million contract with the Spurs last summer.
When asked about what he missed the most about his reliable, 7-foot center in January, Mazzulla didn't mention anything related to basketball.
"The biggest thing that stands out about Luke is that I miss going to mass with him," Mazzulla said prior to the Celtics' 100-95 loss at home to the Spurs. "We used to go to church on the road."
Although the bizarre (and often hilarious) quotations from Mazzulla make headlines, his strong relationships with his players are what truly define him . They're also why he's in the race for Coach of the Year and explain how the 2025-26 Celtics, who were expected to flounder, are 44-23 heading into a Tuesday night showdown with the Phoenix Suns .
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"It's funny when people say [Mazzulla's] crazy, and I'm like, he makes the most sense of anyone I've ever met," Kornet said with a chuckle.
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