Mazzulla sounds off on 'stupid' COTY award: 'It's just that dumb'

Don't expect to hear Joe Mazzulla plead his case for Coach of the Year.

The 37-year-old is a strong candidate to win the honor for the first time this year, thanks to his work in keeping an undermanned Boston Celtics side in the mix for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.

However, Mazzulla adamantly dismissed the possibility Monday and argued the league should actually do away with the annual hardware.

"I don't need it," Mazzulla said, courtesy of The Athletic's Jay King. "I think it's a stupid award. They shouldn't have it. And it's more about the players. It's more about the work that the staff puts in. It's just that simple. I really don't ever want to be asked or talked about it again. It's just that dumb.

"So, the players play. It's about them. Staff works their ass off. I'm grateful to have them."

Mazzulla came third in Coach of the Year voting in 2023, finishing behind Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder and unanimous winner Mike Brown, then with the Sacramento Kings.

In 2024, Mazzulla finished in fourth despite leading the Celtics to a league-best 64-18 regular-season record before their championship playoff run. (NBA awards are voted on prior to the postseason.) Daigneault won the award that year after guiding Oklahoma City to the top seed in the West with a 57-25 mark.

With eight contests remaining, the Celtics are four games back of the top-seeded Detroit Pistons despite star forward Jayson Tatum missing the team's first 62 games while recovering from Achilles surgery. After going just 11-9 through November, Mazzulla's shorthanded squad jumped from eighth to third by producing a 9-3 mark in December. Boston hasn't been lower than second place since Jan. 14.