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Joe Mazzulla recognizes Jaylen Brown’s growth on the defensive end, saying Brown takes pride in being able to impact the game in ways other than scoring.
The NBA's Coach of the Month selections for March 2024 should pique the interest of Boston Celtics fans.
C's head coach Joe Mazzulla earned the honor in the Eastern Conference for the third time in his career. His predecessor in Boston, the Houston Rockets' Ime Udoka, was named Coach of the Month in the West.
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The Celtics went 12-4 in March, including a nine-game win streak, under Mazzulla's leadership. Mazzulla is now tied with Brad Stevens for the second-most Coach of the Month honors in franchise history, trailing only Doc Rivers (six). Boston has a 59-16 record on the season and can clinch homecourt throughout the NBA playoffs with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
Udoka led Houston to a 13-2 record in a month that featured an 11-game win streak and seven consecutive road victories. His impact has been felt throughout his first year with the Rockets, helping them enter Tuesday with a 38-36 record after going 22-60 last season. With the Celtics in 2021-22, Udoka was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month twice.
Mazzulla replaced Udoka as the Celtics' head coach just before the 2022-23 campaign. He served as an interim coach until officially being named the 19th head coach in franchise history in Feb. 2023.