Because where other coaches are watching the Bulls and Timberwolves, Joe Mazzulla prefers to study killer whales and hyenas. Mazzulla, the 35-year-old coach who has the Celtics two wins away from the 18th championship in franchise history, has a fascination with the brutal beauty of the natural world. So when it’s time to inspire his team and instruct them in the ways of teamwork and self sacrifice, he turns to video of Planet Earth’s greatest predators, playing clips of orcas and other hunters as they circle their prey. “It could be anything,” said Celtics guard Derrick White after a Game 2 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Sunday night. “A lot of ocean, a lot of nature. He loves that predator-prey lifestyle.” -via Wall Street Journal / June 13, 2024