NBA fans baffled & bemused as Joe Mazzulla gets pre-Finals boost from Pep Guardiola: "Luka seeing this and making this his El Classico"

NBA fans have reacted to Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla getting coaching tips from soccer manager Pep Guardiola ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Both Boston and Dallas Mavericks have been available for practice on Wednesday in preparation for the Finals. Eagle-eyed fans saw the coach talking to Guardiola ahead of the matchup.

Joe Mazzulla was seen talking to the Manchester City manager on the court. According to Morey Hershgordon, it was an intimate conversation about coaching. The Celtics head coach has also mentioned that he wanted to learn other sports and apply them to the game of basketball.

After fans saw this, they immediately shared their thoughts on Joe Mazzulla having a conversation with arguably the top coach in his sport. Here are some of what the fans had to say.

One fan made the connection to "El Clasico", the fierce rivalry between Spanish giants Real Madrid (Luka's old club) and Barcelona (Guardiola's old club).

"Luka is seeing this and making this his El Classico!" one fan said.

"Bro thinks he can do everything," another fan said.

A couple of fans commented on the interesting Pep-Celtics crossover:

"Ah s**t one of the best minds in football helping out the Celtics," one fan said.

"Someone please tell Guardiola that there is 24 second possession rule," a fan shared.

Meanwhile, a couple of fans made quips related to Guardiola's club, Manchester City, who are being investigated for financial rule-breaking, which has made them a rather unpopular club.

"Celtics are about to be investigated," a fan shared.

"Man City x Celtics? Can’t get anymore unlikeable than this," another fan commented.

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Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics get boost with Kristaps Porzingis return

Fans are awaiting the return of Kristaps Porzingis to the lineup as they face the Dallas Mavericks. Luckily for Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics, the Latvian big man has confirmed his return to the lineup after not playing a game since Game 5 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat.

Porzingis has been sidelined due to a right calf strain. This has prevented him from playing for Boston as he was out for five weeks from the postseason action. He only played in the first four games of the postseason for the team where he averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

According to the update from The Athletic's Shams Charania, the big man has undergone multiple scrimmages to prepare for his return.

Porzingis played 57 games during the regular season. Despite his limited game time, he was still able to average 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The 7-foot-2 center has also knocked down 37% of his shots from beyond the arc, which has been a big weapon in Joe Mazzulla's offense.

With Porzingis' return, Joe Mazzulla will now have added frontcourt depth alongside Al Horford for the Finals.