Celtics great Robert Parish praises Joe Mazzulla: ‘They have the right coach’

BOSTON – The handshake between Joe Mazzulla and Robert Parish lasted much longer than most.

Before Wednesday evening, the two Celtics champions had never met. When they finally did, their mutual admiration was obvious.

“I want to commend you for the job that you’re doing,” Parish said while shaking Mazzulla’s hand for several seconds.

Moments earlier, Parish had raved about Mazzulla’s performance as coach of the Celtics while comparing the current team to the championship squads of the 1980s. Parish, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003, racked up three championships with Boston.

“I think the two eras’ coaching philosophies, or whatever you want to call it, mirror one another,” Parish said. “They have the right coach in place. Because that’s where it starts: with the coach. And the team has definitely taken on Joe’s personality: that toughness, grinding out on both ends of the court, take no prisoners (mentality). I like the fact that another area they mirror us in, they play hard, they play smart and they play together. And I like that.

“Unfortunately, Jayson (Tatum) went down (with a torn Achilles), but – don’t take this the wrong way – I think it might have been a good thing because the Celtics right now got their defensive identity back. And that’s when they won the championship, when they understood the benefits and the rewards of playing defense. And that’s what this team is doing now. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why they are successful, other than taking on the coach’s personality. Because he don’t take no crap, and these Celtics don’t take no crap. So, I like that about them.”

Parish said he had never met Mazzulla until running into him Wednesday at TD Garden before the Celtics hosted the Warriors. They briefly introduced themselves before Mazzulla’s news conference. Parish had already grown to respect him from afar.

“He’s serious,” Parish said. “And I like that. Kind of reminds me of Bill Fitch (with) that tough love. I like that. Even though he obviously has people skills, because if he didn’t have the people skills, I don’t think his players would buy into his philosophy, his concepts the way that they have.

“So, I definitely think Joe has people skills because I think it’s very important to give those guys that don’t play a lot, give them some love, make them feel important, make them feel wanted, make them feel like they’re going to contribute at some point. So, stay ready. It seems like these guys realize, and it feels that Joe subscribes to this philosophy: Don’t give me a reason not to play you. And those guys seem to stay ready one through 13. Everybody comes in and contributes, and there’s no drop off when the bench comes into the game. And I like and respect that.”

Mazzulla said it was great saying hello to Parish.

“We always talk about (how) this job wouldn’t be what it was if the people before us didn’t do what they did,” Mazzulla said. “And Robert Parish is at the top of that list with what he’s done as a player, what he’s done in the city, what he’s done for basketball. When you take this job and you have this job, you realize the gratitude and perspective that comes with it. And it’s our responsibility to move it forward the way that they did. So, really just a ton of gratitude for him and for his teammates and for the people that have come before us to make this job and to make this city what it is.”

With Parish, the Celtics never won back-to-back championships but were consistently one of the NBA’s premier teams. He said the team’s attitude set the stage for the extended period of success, which included championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. The Celtics also reached the Finals in 1985 and 1987.

“We all bought into this philosophy (that) you’re playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back of the jersey,” Parish said. “And I think we all bought into that. We checked our egos at the door, and I think that’s paramount. We were always on the same page. We wanted to win the championship. And we knew we weren’t going to win championships playing like individuals. We’ve got to do it from a team perspective. And it started with our leader, Larry (Bird). He checked his ego at the door. So, if our leader can check his ego, clearly the rest of us could check our ego. And that’s where it starts: with the leader.

“And I think that, as I said before, that’s one thing I like about today’s Celtics. They win collectively. Not one person doing the work. They’re winning and being successful collectively. They’re doing it as a team. And I respect that.”

As much as Parish emphasized his respect for the current era of Celtics basketball, he said he would choose the 1986 championship team over the 2024 title winners.

“I’m going to say the ’86 Celtics for this reason: Nobody had an answer for Bill Walton,” Parish said. “The NBA did not have an answer for Bill Walton. And that’s why we were successful (with) that ’86 team. And that’s why we are considered one of the all-time best teams. Bill Walton made the difference. No doubt. Hands down. Because today’s Celtics, they could do nothing with William. Not a thing.”