Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla describes meeting with young, terminal cancer patients: ‘They were helping me’

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Joe Mazzulla was never supposed to be the head coach of the 2022-23 Boston Celtics. 

Following the organization's first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, Boston’s future plans were obliterated in the offseason when Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season for "violations of team policies." 

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla calls to his players during the first half of Game 2 in the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Mazzulla was elevated to head coach of a team with championship aspirations as Boston began the season as the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. 

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Mazzulla, a first-year head coach, could not have asked for a better situation with a roster filled with young talent and veteran leadership. 

However, with talent comes massive expectations, and Mazzulla has been the brunt of criticism over the past several weeks as the Celtics have struggled to look like a team ready to get over the hump. 

Before Boston’s Game 5 win over the Miami Heat, Mazzulla was asked about blocking out the noise with his team one loss away from elimination, and the first-year head coach put his team’s situation into perspective. 

Boston Celtics head Coach Joe Mazzulla talks to the media after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 14, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Honestly? I met