Damon Stoudamire earns win as Celtics head coach in place of an injured Joe Mazzulla
BOSTON -- The Celtics are being led by an interim head coach in Joe Mazzulla. On Tuesday night, Boston needed an interim to fill in for their interim.
That's where "Mighty Mouse" stepped in to save the day. At least that is what Damon Stoudamire was known as during his playing days as a 5-foot-9 speedy and shifty point guard. On Tuesday night, he was simply head coach of the Boston Celtics.
Mazzulla was a late scratch due to eye irritation. He went through his pregame routine with the intentions of coaching the C's despite the fact that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. About 15 minutes before tipoff against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden, it was determined that Mazzulla would not be able to coach.
That's when Stoudamire received a tap on his shoulder. He was going to serve as head coach for the first time in an NBA game. Making the evening even more special for the 49-year-old was that his mother and son were in attendance at TD Garden.
Given the game was just a few minutes away when he got word that he would be serving as head coach, Stoudamire didn't have time to feel any pre-game jitters or panic. And he looked right at home on the Boston bench, as the Celtics didn't miss a beat in a 126-102 win over the Rockets.
"In a lot of ways, it's better that way," Stoudamire said of the short notice. "Just go out there and do what we've been doing."
Stoudamire praised the entire Boston coaching staff for a full group effort to get Tuesday night's win.
"We put together game plans as a staff, obviously. We pretty much know what we wanted to do," he said. "Joe wasn't able to go tonight, and I stepped in. But honestly, it's a collaborative effort. Everybody plays their part in situations like this. It's been like this pretty much all season. So, for me, it was just a matter of going out there and truly not messing it up."
Players weren't aware of Mazzulla's situation -- or Stoudamire's elevation -- until just before tipoff. But it didn't seem to phase anyone, and Jayson Tatum (38 points) and Jaylen Brown (39 points) made it easy on their head-coach-for-a-night.
"The only difference was Joe wasn't over there chewing the [heck] out of some gum," Tatum cracked after the victory.
Jokes aside, the players were impressed with what Stoudamire had to offer from the bench.
"He did good. It was kind of like when somebody's out on the team. Somebody's got to step in and fill in that void," said Tatum. "It's not just a one person job. We got a coaching staff that helps each other out and the team. We're all on the same team, essentially. So when the coach is out, it's just next man up mentality."
"I think Damon did well. Obviously, he wasn't ready or prepared to kind of get thrown out there. I thought he held his ground pretty well," said Brown. "He tried to get us organized. At times, he called timeouts and let us know where we needed to be better and stuff like that. For him not to be prepared and get us organized, try to some good sets, I thought he did a good job. I don't know what the hell happened with Joe before the game. But Damon stepped up and did his thing."
Stoudamire brings a lengthy resume to the table, both as a player and as a coach. He was an All-American in college at Arizona and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1996. He enjoyed a 13-year playing career with the Raptors, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Grizzlies before moving to coaching in 2008. Stoudamire was an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies in the pros, and at Memphis and Arizona in college before becoming the head coach at Pacific in 2016. He held that position for five years -- earning WCC Coach of the Year honors in 2020 -- before joining Ime Udoka's bench in Boston last year.
"Fortunately for me, I've been under the microscope a long time," Stoudamire said after his NBA head-coaching debut. "For me, a great opportunity, but at the same time, too humbled about the opportunity. I've sat in this seat before -- not in the NBA -- but I know what comes with it. I'm just trying to make sure I'm doing the right thing and getting the guys ready to play."
He showed off his head-coaching chops on Tuesday night and earned a win despite little time to prepare for the occasion. Mazzulla is expected to be back soon, but the Celtics must feel pretty good knowing they have a solid voice to fill in should the need arise again.
"Damon is one of my favorite people in the organization," said Brown. "Just a veteran, a lot of experiences in different places -- playing, coaching, assistant coaching. So Damon's one of my favorite people. It was fun to go out there and get a win for him."
