BOSTON, Mass. (June 3, 2026) — This column concerns Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics, but bear with me while I use George Horton as a framing device: My very first-ever sports-writing job allowed me to cover Horton’s Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School boys basketball team. That winter of 1986-87, the genial, middle-aged coach had trained up a talented collection of 7-8 kids, none of whom were taller than 6 feet — but all of whom could run, gun and handle the ball.
The mighty L-S Warriors didn’t bother with many plays. Their non-stop press resulted in absolute chaos, great masses of layups off turnovers, a league title, and more tournament glory than anyone could have expected.
The next season, just two kids remained from that squad — the slowest two. I went and saw them play early in December and was stunned to watch them meticulously run a half-dozen offensive sets I’d not seen the year before. This new scheme created great shots in the half court for a team short on athleticism. The Warriors never pressed; Horton arrayed them in an air-tight match-up zone. The team went 14-4 and went to another state tournament.
Having watched his team the year before, I had assumed that Horton was one of those coaches who just rolled the balls out and let things happened. But he recognized what he had and leveraged squad skills. Same same the following winter, only Horton devised a completely different scheme for an entirely different roster.
That’s great coaching. Still convinced I could be the next Bob Ryan, I traded up to a daily newspaper job the following spring/ George Horton died of a heart attack six years later. His wife found him slumped over in his recliner, a Celtics playoff game still playing on the TV.
Joe Mazzulla: Worthy COY winner, but…
I thought of George again when Joe Mazzulla was named NBA Coach of the Year early in May. The Celtics had a great regular season before crashing out in the first playoff round to Philly. Honestly, no one had expected the Sixers to challenge Boston, which had rounded into something approaching championship form after Jason Tatum’s return from a 10-month Achilles tendon rehab. The Celts led the series 3-1 but still managed to lose it. Shit happens.
Before he won it, Joe had deemed the Coach of the Year award “stupid.” I love Mazzulla. He’s candid in a way only someone on the spectrum can be. Earlier in the season, Coach Joe had been interviewed about the team’s new, gold-on-white uniforms. He said he liked them. The reporter asked why. “Because they say Boston on the front,” he deadpanned.