Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has looked to a soccer manager who has amassed 15 trophies for inspiration as he pursues his first NBA championship.

Over the weekend, Mazzulla was a guest at Manchester City, the English and European champion. On Saturday, he watched the club play Chelsea in the Premier League, and on Sunday, he met manager Pep Guardiola at the team’s training facility. Guardiola and Mazzulla traded jerseys from City and the Celtics. Mazzulla took advantage of a lull in the NBA schedule caused by the All-Star Game to witness one of City’s practices and speak with players both before and after. Regarding his encounter with Mazzulla, Guardiola, the former coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, stated on Monday, “We were in touch last month.” He told me that he had some free time in the NBA and that he would want to attend a game. He also mentioned that he had spent a few days in London with his family. Then it was back to work in Massachusetts. The presence of his family here was quite pleasant. With a 43-12 record, the Celtics lead the Eastern Conference. Their next game is against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. Since September 2022, Mazzulla has led the Celtics as their coach, first on an interim basis.

The Boston Celtics, led by Joe Mazzulla, are a globally recognized team that has shared the record for most NBA Finals wins with the Los Angeles Lakers with 17. Mazzulla, a fan of City, spent the weekend in Manchester seeing the team that won the Triple Crown play and practice. He met fellow coach Pep Guardiola today after going to the Chelsea game, and the two exchanged jerseys. Mazzulla spoke with the players both before and after the practice as he observed the club begin its preparations for the upcoming Premier League match against Brentford.Under Mazzulla, the Celtics have won both the Eastern Conference and the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division this season, and they have the best record in the NBA overall for both offense and defense. And on Wednesday, in just his second season with the Celtics, Mazzulla himself accomplished a noteworthy feat by winning his 100th game following Boston’s 136-86 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets. With a record of 100-37 overall, the 35-year-old now holds the highest winning percentage (.730) among coaches with 100 victories in the NBA record books.This season, the squad has won by 50 points twice, the fifth time overall. Under Mazzulla, the team is off to its best start since 2008, going 43-12. Due to a hiatus in his NBA schedule caused by the All-Star weekend, he was on a quick tour of the UK. We’re glad he could join us, and we hope the rest of the NBA season goes well for him.