Published20. June 2024, 06:39
Basketball: Pep Guardiola played a role in Boston’s NBA triumph
The Manchester City coach inspired Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics coach. They imbued themselves with the Spaniard’s tactical precepts to win the title.
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Joe Mazzulla and Pep Guardiola met in Manchester in February.
X – Manchester City
Fallen of the Dallas Mavericks of superstar Luka Doncic, Boston won the 18th title in its history on Monday evening. An NBA record. On the floor of TD Garden, the Celtics players – leaders Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the lead – were able to enjoy a coronation that they had been waiting for since 2008.
This triumph bears the mark of the young coach Joe Mazzulla (only 35 years old), who wanted to thank a certain… Pep Guardiola during the celebrations. “Dallas has one of the smartest defenses,” said the American coach. We had to be creative to counter them. Pep advised me on the transition game and the movements of my players.
A final sentence far from trivial. The youngest technician to become an NBA champion since Bill Russell in 1968 – as player-coach of the same Celtics – is a person obsessed with football. In his coaching, he has also greatly immersed himself in the tactical principles developed and advocated by the strong man of Manchester City.
Former footballer
The American, who grew up in the state of Rhode Island, himself played football during his youth, before switching to basketball and donning the coaching hat at the age of 22 . However, he remained very attached and passionate about his first sport.
“Basketball is too defined by statistics,” he conceded to the newspaper L’Équipe. We look at how many points a star scored to determine their performance. Whereas in football, you really have to pay attention to the match to understand the impact of this or that player.”
Then to express his fascination with Pep Guardiola, whom he met in 2022 and then last February in the Manchester City complex. “I always liked his personality. I think he is the best coach in the world, all sports and all levels combined. He has a big influence on me.”
Joe Mazzulla says he studies game systems, transitions, and the way the Cityzens defend on transition plays. “In both sports, transitions happen very quickly,” he commented to The Athletic. And your defense begins with the positioning of your attacking players, their decision-making and their choice of shots.
During the season and the last play-offs, the American coach tried to introduce several new strategies, inspired by tiki-taka or the “false” number 9, in particular by broadcasting several parts of the quadruple champion’s matches of England in title.
“Circulate the ball as much as possible”
“Joe has the idea that football is a bit like basketball,” says his Ukrainian player Sviatoslav Mykhaïliouk. That we must circulate the ball as much as possible until we find the opening, the best possible shot. May the movement of the ball and the players make things easier for everyone.
During the second act of the final against Dallas, Joe Mazzulla regularly used his leader Jrue Holiday as a false interior in the offensive phase with the aim of creating confusion in the Mavericks defense, the same principle as the “false” number 9 in football. “Each member of the team must be able to do several things at the same time,” he assured.
A requirement to which its players have complied perfectly, they who have regained a head start in the prize list over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2024-06-20 04:40:38
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