Joe Mazzulla Makes Powerful Case For NBA Award With Astonishing Masterpiece

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Joe Mazzulla was already one of the NBA's top coaches before this season, but he's taken his game to another level this year.

Despite losing his best player, Jayson Tatum, for most of the season due to injury, along with several other stars during the offseason, Mazzulla didn't skip a beat. He immediately transformed his new, largely unproven roster into one of the best teams in the sport, finding ways to win against deeper and more experienced opponents on a nightly basis.

Mazzulla proved he can win with anyone, especially during the Boston Celtics' regular-season finale at TD Garden on Sunday.

After clinching the two seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday, the Celtics had nothing to play for and rested their starters. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic were fully healthy and had a playoff berth at stake.

The Boston Celtics just beat the trying Magic in a consequential game… while playing with the cheapest active roster of any team all season: $11.5 million.

That’s a $161 million gap between rosters.

Joe Mazzulla Coach of the Year? pic.twitter.com/pSjORRKVgu

— MONEY ON THE FLOOR (@MOTF_NBA) April 13, 2026

Mazzulla's active roster for Sunday's game had the lowest total salary of any active roster in the NBA this year at just $11.5 million. By comparison, the Magic's roster had a total salary of $173 million -- a whopping $161.5 million more than Boston's.

It didn't matter. Mazzulla coached circles around Jamahl Mosley, leading the Celtics to a shocking 113-108 win with his bench players despite being massive underdogs.

Despite having an incredibly limited and shorthanded roster, Mazzulla still found a way to win and get the most out of his players. In a season full of tremendous performances, it was probably his best and most impressive.

NBA Coach of the Year will likely come down to Mazzulla and J.B. Bickerstaff, but Mazzulla has a phenomenal case. One could argue that no coach has done more with less this year, somehow turning his flawed roster into a relentless juggernaut.

Mazzulla may not win the award, but Sunday's masterful performance proved why he deserves it.

More NBA: Is Magic Coach On Hot Seat After 'Catastrophic' Loss To Celtics?

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