There’s a reason why Joe Mazzulla was sitting in the back of Ime Udoka coaching staff because he’s good development coach, He simply doesn’t know how to press the right buttons like Ime Udoka and enforce his rules on the team.
Asked (a very visible disappointed) Payton Pritchard how he balances processing a 56-win season with this outcome:
“Just because you don't win a championship one year doesn't mean it didn't build for the next championship. So, when we won Banner 18, four years before that, we lost four straight — lost to Miami, lost in the finals. So those might have been disappointing years, but maybe those led to the championship. So, that's how I look at it.”
Asked (a very visible disappointed) Payton Pritchard how he balances processing a 56-win season with this outcome:
“Just because you don't win a championship one year doesn't mean it didn't build for the next championship. So, when we won Banner 18, four years before that, we lost four straight — lost to Miami, lost in the finals. So those might have been disappointing years, but maybe those led to the championship. So, that's how I look at it.”
Bill Simmons admits that the play-in games impacted his awards voting.
“The play-in did change my 6MOY vote. I had Jaquez over Keldon Johnson, but then Miami lost on Wednesday, and I was just like, ‘I’m going to have the 6MOY on a team that couldn’t get to the last round of the play-in?’ I switched it. That’s the league’s fault. They should’ve made us vote before the play-in game.”
(h/t @HeatCulture13 )