To Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, narrative matters when trying to win titles in the NBA. And we are not just talking about external narratives; the West Virginia alum sees the narratives we create about ourselves to be paramount in helping to shape what happens on the court. "Your wording is the most important thing," explained Mazzulla in a recent "No Show Dogs" interview.
"I'm just a guy that won a championship with a group of people and we did it together. So I think that's the number one thin. My identity cannot be wrapped up in that or else you're just a failure for the rest of your life because, you may only get one (NBA title)."
"So, if you coach for 20 years and you go (to the NBA finals) one out of 20, did you have one success?"
asked the Celtics coach. "And 19 unsuccessful ones? What does that look like? And so I think that's the first test: being very specific about the story you tell yourself and the words that you use."
"And knowing that I didn't do anything. There was a group of us that did this, and then it's over," said Mazzulla. "I think from a competitive standpoint, when you are fortunate enough to win, it tests your willpower ... Okay, how are we going after more?"
"I compared it to after the first (title), you're in purgatory, because now you have a sense of what it's like, but you might not get back (to the finals). And how bad do you really want it? To get back to the top of that, and it may take years. It may take one, it may take ten, and you just don't know. But along the way, if you're not in it for the right reasons and super competitive, then you're just not going to make it. And you've got to be there for something bigger than that."
"So I think those are the two biggest things: the story you tell yourself about the journey is much bigger than you, and ... are you in it for the right reasons?" he said. "Because it may not never come back around, but you've still got to show up every day."
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: To Joe Mazzulla, narratives matter to Boston Celtics success
