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Joe Mazzulla will continue to carry the interim coach tag for the Boston Celtics. Mazzulla took the position as interim coach after Boston suspended coach Ime Udoka before the season. The team has not made any public statements on the Udoka's future, and that may be the reason why they have not made any announcements concerning Mazzulla, either.
Mazzulla has done a good job, with Boston (24-10) in first place in the Eastern Conference and leading the NBA in scoring average at 118.7 points per game. According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the Celtics have no plans to make any changes before the end of the season:
“Speaking of Mazzulla, a league source said the Celtics still have no plans to remove the interim tag from his title before season’s end.”
Mazzulla was a candidate for the Utah Jazz job in the offseason, but the team ultimately went with Will Hardy. If the Celtics don’t stay with Mazzulla and bring back Udoka, he likely will be at the top of most teams' lists of coaching candidates in the offseason. The Celtics are championship contenders, and if they win it all, it will be hard for Boston to let him go anywhere.
Are the Boston Celtics championship favorites?
The Boston Celtics currently have the league's best record despite only winning three of their last eight games. The team won a big statement game against the Milwaukee Bucks 139-118 on Christmas Day. In that game, star Jayson Tatum scored 41points, along with seven rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics returned the majority of their roster that went to the NBA Finals last season. They also added Malcolm Brogdon to one of the league's best guard lineups. Tatum is a favorite to win MVP, ranking third on the league's Kia MVP ladder after leading the rankings last week. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown has continued to play like an All-Star.
The Celtics, who are emerging as championship favorites, have established themselves as the best in the Eastern Conference, and there aren’t many teams in the Western Conference that appear to be ready to challenge them.
The Golden State Warriors (16-18), who topped the Celtics in the finals in June, may not even make the playoffs this season. Are the New Orleans Pelicans (21-12) experienced enough? Can the Memphis Grizzlies (20-12) remain healthy and get to the finals? This could be the year for Boston.
