Despite dominating the league during the regular season, the Boston Celtics will not receive any NBA awards. The NBA presented the candidates for its most prestigious awards on Sunday night, and no Celtics were on any of the shortlists.
When Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla learned of the snub, he did not react in wrath or annoyance. Instead, he described the conclusion as “beautiful” and stressed that his team isn’t thinking about the regular season right now, according to Zach Cox of NESN.
“No, not at all,” Mazzulla said when asked if he was upset over his team’s exclusion. “I find it beautiful… Why would you receive an award for the past?”
This season, the 2023-24 Celtics are focused on a different reward: winning Banner No. 18.
During the regular season, the C’s made it clear that they’re prioritizing team success and sacrifice over individual glory.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum may have expressed it best following a regular-season game that few will remember, but was nonetheless significant.
Following a second-half comeback to defeat the lowly Detroit Pistons in overtime in late December, Tatum stated that he is willing to play any role to help his team win.
“We’ve had so much team success and had our fair of individual success and accolades, and the only thing left is to really win a championship,” he went on to say. “I’ve played a lot of games, including playoff games, and I understand the value I offer, which isn’t always about scoring. I know the impact I have on the court, and players may not help or pay too much attention to me, or if I screen, I bring two defenders with me, and my teammates get open, and as you get older, you learn that kind of opens everything up for myself and everyone else.”
Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday all saw their scoring averages drop this season. However, the sacrifices they made throughout the 2023-24 season resulted in an impressive 64-18 record. That was enough for the NBA’s best overall record and Boston’s most wins since the 2007-08 season, when the Celtics won their previous championship.
If Tatum averaged more points per game, he might be in the running for MVP. If Joe Mazzulla focused more on himself as his team won each win, he might be a finalist for Coach of the Year.
However, no Celtic player prioritized himself over the team. While this is not conducive to NBA honors and awards, it resulted in the Eastern Conference’s top seed and a strong sense of unity.
As Tatum stated, all that remains for the Celtics is to win their first championship in over 15 years. To get there, they’ll have to first deal with the troublesome Miami Heat.
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