The Celtics needed to earn their 128-122 overtime victory over the Pistons on Thursday night, which Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla anticipated before the start of the game.
Detroit, losers of an ongoing NBA record-setting 28 straight games, has sat on the wrong side of history for the vast majority of the season. There hasn’t been a team that’s even competed with the Pistons for the “worst team” label thus far, and with a 2-29 record, including a 1-15 start on the road, it’s hard to imagine anyone will down the line.
Yet, despite all the negativity that’s made Detroit out to be the punching bag of the NBA this season, Mazzulla still viewed the Pistons as “one of the hardest” matchups for the Celtics.
“I think everybody comes into a game like this and it’s like, ‘Oh, the Celtics are playing the Pistons, they should win the game and they’re gonna win the game.’ And they look at the record and they create this emotional mindset of like, ‘Oh this is easy,’ ” Mazzulla told reporters after the Celtics’ win, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “Nobody’s probably watched five or six Detroit Pistons games and see how hard they play and how talented they are. Just because they’re two and whatever, it doesn’t mean they haven’t been in 10 close games that they could’ve won if the ball bounced their way.”
