Robert Parish credits Celtics success to Joe Mazzulla’s toughness
Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish had never met Joe Mazzulla before, but he was already a fan.
BOSTON — Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish knows what goes into winning. He celebrated three NBA championships in Beantown and was part of some of the best teams in franchise history. And while he had never met Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla before, he quickly recognized that the fourth-year skipper embodies winning.
"They have the right coach in place because that's where it starts," Parish said of Mazzulla prior to the Celtics' Wednesday night meeting with the Golden State Warriors (two franchises that Parish was a key part of during his lengthy NBA career). "The team is definitely taking on Joe's personality — that toughness, grind it out on both ends, take no prisoners. " More from Robert Parish on Joe Mazzulla: “They have the right coach in place.
That's where it starts with the coach, and the team is definitely taking on Joe's personality. You know, that toughness, grinding out on both ends. Take no prisoners.
” https://t. co/FVv8XNQesL — Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) March 18, 2026 Parish even continued his high praise by saying that Mazzulla is leading a squad that reminded him of the great Celtics teams he was on four decades ago. "Another area they mirror us in, they play hard," he stated in the TD Garden press room while towering over reporters.