Joe Mazzulla appreciates Giannis' praise but credits players: 'I think it starts there'

BOSTON — As much as Joe Mazzulla appreciated Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent praise, the Boston Celtics head coach said the credit for his team’s success this season belongs to his players.“Obviously, he’s a great player,” Mazzulla said when asked about Antetokounmpo’s comments. “But I think my reaction was, like, ‘You can’t do anything unless you have the players to be able to do that.’ And I think that may sound — I say it a lot, but it’s just that simple. I think the greatest gift you can have as a coach, especially in the NBA, is to have a group of players that have a high competitive character, care about winning and want to get better. I think it starts there. And so that kind of was my response to that.”Advertisement