A report from Marc Stein came out on Monday sharing that the Knicks were interested in pursuing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla this offseason. Stein said there were "whispers" of New York being interested in Mazzulla, but obviously, nothing came to fruition.
Ahead of the NBA season starting on Tuesday night and the Celtics' getting their own campaign started on Wednesday, Mazzulla was asked about the rumors and if they were true. Mazzulla made it clear that he never heard from the Knicks, and he has no desire to leave the Celtics.
“That never reached me. There is only one team that I want to coach: it’s the Boston Celtics," Mazzulla said on 98.5 The Sports Hub. "I’m going to be here for however long ownership and the city will have me. There is no other team that I’m coaching, it’s here or I’m going to coach my kid’s soccer team or something like that.”
Boston showed its fans and Mazzulla how much they want to keep the coach with the Celtics after Mazzulla was signed to a multi-year contract extension in August. Mazzulla will stay in Boston for the foreseeable future.
The Celtics will face the Knicks on Friday, so there's a chance this storyline would've continued throughout the week if Mazzulla didn't squash the rumors. The game will mark an Eastern Conference semifinals rematch from last season's playoffs, which New York won 4-2 over Boston.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Joe Mazzulla Addresses Rumors That Knicks Pursued Him in Offseason.