"You did lose to the 8-seed": JJ Redick, who nearly joined Joe Mazzulla's staff, roasts Celtics HC for forgetting he lost to Miami

Before the start of the 2022-23 regular season, the Boston Celtics named Joe Mazzulla as the interim head coach of the team due to the suspension of Ime Udoka. As the season went on, Mazzulla's interim tag was removed, making him the official head coach of the Celtics squad.

Despite an impressive regular season record and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics came up short in the matchup against the Heat. After going down 3-0 against the Miami Heat in the third round, they were able to climb their way back to tie the series up at 3-3 apiece. However, they were unable to finish the comeback and ended up losing Game 7 at home.

Ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla talked about keeping goals and expectations in check during an interview with JJ Redick on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast. Mazzulla also mentioned that focusing on getting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference isn't as glamorous as it is made out to be, citing the Milwaukee Bucks losing to the eight-seeded Miami Heat.

Hilariously enough, Redick roasted Mazzulla by mentioning that his Boston Celtics also lost to the Heat in the 2023 playoffs.

"Coach, I hate to tell you, but you did lose to the 8-seed," Redick said.

After losing the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, the goal for the following season was a return and redemption at the NBA Finals. However, the Celtics fell short of this goal as the Heat outlasted them in seven games.

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JJ Redick almost became part of Joe Mazzulla's coaching staff with the Boston Celtics

During the podcast interview, Joe Mazzulla talked about the time when he was recruiting JJ Redick to be part of his coaching staff with the Boston Celtics.

"I thought we had a chance at getting you," Mazzulla said. "Then we go through the clubhouse, we walk out, and you're like, 'So when does training camp start?' And I go, 'Uh, Monday.' And it was Friday."

"I thought, 'This guy put all this thought into wanting to coach and he doesn't even know when the season starts,'" Mazzulla said. "It was a good time, though. I knew you weren't wasting my time, I thought you were authentic, I appreciated it."

From Joe Mazzulla's comments, he appreciated the interview he had with Redick for the coaching job. From Redick being an "authentic" individual, Mazzulla figured he would be a great addition to his staff for the coming season.

In a previous podcast episode, JJ Redick mentioned that the timing was just not right at that moment. Although, he did highlight that he "would love" to coach at some point in his life.