Joe Mazzulla labels Pep Guardiola best coach across all sports / News - Basketnews.com

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, a passionate Manchester City fan, gains profound insights from observing City's manager Pep Guardiola, emphasizing the interconnected nature of basketball and soccer in terms of strategy and transitions.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP-SCANPIX, REUTERS/Albert Gea Credit Getty Images via AFP-SCANPIX, REUTERS/Albert Gea

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, a devoted City fan, took advantage of the NBA All-Star break to immerse himself in Manchester's soccer scene, observing the Treble winners both in action and during their training sessions.

Boston Celtics / Schedule

Chicago Bulls Boston Celtics112-129 New York Knicks Boston Celtics102-116 Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ersWed00:30 Boston Celtics Dallas MavericksSat00:30 Boston Celtics Golden State Warriors03-0320:30

Mazzulla shared insights into the philosophies that have propelled City's manager, Pep Guardiola, to the pinnacle of the sport. According to him, the parallels between soccer and basketball lie in their continuity.

"That is what the game of basketball is about, to me, and what counterattacking in soccer is about," Mazzulla told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. "So, I study a lot of Man City. I study Pep a lot. I think he's the best coach at any level, in any sport. It's had a huge influence [on me]."

In the same interview, Mazzulla also underlined the interconnected nature of basketball, dismissing the conventional separation between offense and defense.

"Everybody tries to break basketball up into offense and defense, but it's one game," Mazzulla said. "If your transition defense sucks, everybody talks about your transition defense. But it's your spacing and your decision-making and your shot selection, then it's your transition defense.

"I think where basketball and soccer are the same is the transition is happening so fast. You can be on offense, and two seconds later, you can be on defense. So the game is constantly changing."

The Celtics have the best NBA record, securing 45 wins in 57 games.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.