NBA Abu Dhabi Games: Boston Celtics refuse to 'skip any steps' in bid to retain NBA title

Coach Joe Mazzulla hopes NBA champions will hit ground running during preseason visit, while Celtics guard Derrick White returns to UAE capital for second time in three months

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. AFP

As the Boston Celtics attempt to become the first team since 2017-18 to win back-to-back NBA championships, head coach Joe Mazzulla has made it clear he will not be treating this upcoming campaign as a title defence.

The coach recently told the Locked On Celtics podcast that “the phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term” and he hopes to instil a more aggressive mindset among his squad entering the new season.

The Celtics’ preparations for the 2024-25 term will include a trip to Abu Dhabi next week, where the reigning champions will take on the team they dethroned, the Denver Nuggets, in two preseason games on October 4 and 6 at Etihad Arena.

Celtics guard Derrick White returns to the UAE capital for the second time in three months, having been part of the US Olympic side that held a training camp in Abu Dhabi before clinching gold at the Paris Games.

White, like Mazzulla, doesn’t feel that having a title under their belt will make much of a difference for the Celtics heading into the new season.

“Everybody says that we got a target on our back, but I feel like it's been like that for the last couple years, and it's not like people are like, ‘Oh, it's the Celtics, we’ll take it easy’. So we just got to have the mindset that we need to get better each and every day,” White, 30, said on Tuesday ahead of the team’s trip to Abu Dhabi.

“We can't skip any steps. We understand what the end goal is and what the bigger picture is, and starting tomorrow, and to the end of the year, we can't skip any steps. We can't just be satisfied because we won last year and we got guys in this locker room that aren't going to be satisfied. So we're looking forward to it.”

White is one of three Boston players who have had a busier summer than their teammates, with Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday also making the trip to Paris to help USA secure Olympic gold.

Brought in to replace Kawhi Leonard on the squad, White caught up with Team USA in Abu Dhabi a few days into training camp back in July and ended up featuring in five of the six games they contested at the Olympics.

Having played on a roster that included the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, White carries with him plenty of lessons learnt from his Olympic experience into the new season with the Celtics.

“I would say the day-to-day preparation, how they get their mind, the body, everything ready to go for competition. You hear stories about LeBron, KD and Steph and everybody on the team, but seeing it day in and day out, you see what makes them great, what makes them special,” said White.

“And just try to add a little bit to your game, add a little bit to your routine. And you can't help but get better from being in an atmosphere like that.”

White is looking forward to playing in front of the Abu Dhabi crowd once again, this time with his Boston teammates and not USA, and says it’s a “huge” opportunity to help spread the game to different parts of the world.

For Mazzulla, who at 35 became the youngest head coach to win an NBA title since 1969, taking part in the Abu Dhabi Games is a chance to engage with fans in the region, and inspire them to chase after the NBA dream.

“It’s building that connection and building that relationship to different parts of the world, and having an understanding that it can be accomplished by anybody,” said Mazzulla. "That's one of the biggest strengths of the NBA, just the well-roundedness that we have. And that's something that (commissioner) Adam Silver, something that we all fight for, is to have that well-roundedness, to have that inclusivity.

“I think it's just a matter of anybody can accomplish that. I think that's the message, it is that regardless of where you're from or some of your circumstances, you have the ability to go after something. And so I think that's why it's important that we represent the game of basketball, we represent the Celtics during this trip.”

Mazzulla says he has heard nothing but good things from White, Tatum, and Holiday, about their experience in Abu Dhabi and he already has a list of places he’d like to visit when he touches down in the Emirates.

“The Grand Mosque, the Louvre, Manchester City’s academy, I think whatever the city has to offer,” said the Celtics coach.

Mazzulla has built a relationship with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, and the pair have had multiple conversations about their experiences as coaches in their respective sports.

“Just I think the similarities between soccer and basketball, the things that go into coaching, the things that go into managing. He brings a unique perspective on managing, but also navigating success and expectations and challenges and also managing talent,” Mazzulla said of Guardiola.

“So just sharing in those questions about how you go about your process of running a team and handling the things that come with it.

“Hopefully I get to visit the academy in Abu Dhabi and the people that represent Manchester City out there,” he added.

“I think it's a world-class organisation, and what they've been able to accomplish, and obviously they’re coaching players what they represent, with the amount of sustained success that they have. So just excited to have that relationship, have that resource, and looking forward to hopefully visiting with them.”

Keen to approach the new season with a fresh perspective, Mazzulla believes the Abu Dhabi trip will be very beneficial for the Celtics.

“Training camp is an opportunity to kind of redevelop your identity, the identity of our offence, the identity of our defence, the habits that go into it, and then just kind of recommit to the things that go into winning,” said Mazzulla.

“I think every season presents a new challenge, a different challenge. I know we have a lot of the same faces back, but we all have to reinvent ourselves and be better for the environment and the challenge at hand.”

Much has been made of Tatum’s limited role with the US Olympic team this summer, with many criticising head coach Steve Kerr for not playing the Celtics star in two of the six games in France.

Mazzulla isn’t sure how that Olympic experience will impact Tatum’s state of mind but has seen enough from the five-time NBA All-Star to know he will be ready to deliver next season.

“I can't comment on how it affects people internally. I can only comment on how I see him carry himself,” said Mazzulla. “And he's the ultimate competitor, and he comes into camp ready to go every single day, ever since I've been here, regardless of what's happened, whether it was a success or a failure or an expectation not met, he comes in ready to play, ready to get better, ready to be coached.

“And that's really all that matters. And I know him personally, he'll be ready to go. He'll be ready to just get better every single day and compete at a high level. And it's the most important thing.”

Tickets for NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 can be found here.