Celtics deliver Joe Mazzulla win in coaching debut after turmoil

BOSTON — After Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla entered the locker room for the first time as a winning coach following Boston's season-opening 126-117 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, he gave his players a few moments of praise and encouragement for a comprehensive performance against one of the franchise's oldest and most bitter rivals.

Then, he paused.

«I don't think he knew it was coming,» Jaylen Brown would later say with a smile.

The «it» Brown was referring to was the water bottle shower he and the rest of his teammates gave their coach to celebrate his first victory — which was immediately followed by Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck presenting Mazzulla with the game ball. For a team that has been through quite a bit over the past several weeks since Celtics head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the season just days before training camp, it was a cathartic moment.

«I'm grateful for the relationship we have,» Mazzulla said. «These guys have been through a lot together, and they're great players. So it's just a matter of working together. So I appreciate their trust and buy-in, but they come up with a lot of good stuff as well and we kind of just figure it out.»

The Celtics certainly figured plenty of things out Tuesday night, as they — quite literally — ran the 76ers off the famed parquet floor at TD Garden. With starting center and defensive anchor Robert Williams III out for the next couple of months, at least, following offseason knee surgery, the Celtics are going to be smaller and quicker than most opponents — and certainly than the 76ers, thanks to the presence of superstar center Joel Embiid.

So, Tuesday night, Boston used that speed and quickness to its advantage, something Mazzulla