By Humberto Viera
07 Jun 2024, 15:33 PM EDT
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola did not want to miss the first game of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. The Spaniard sat in the front row of the TD Garden, wearing a black Celtics sweatshirt, the team he supports.
This is not the first time that Guardiola has shown himself to be a basketball fan. Last February, he received a visit from Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics coach, in Manchester. In that meeting, both exchanged shirts: Mazzulla took a City one with the number 21, while Guardiola wore a Celtics one with the number 4.
The admiration between both coaches is mutual. Mazzulla, during media day prior to the Finals, highlighted the importance of “learning from non-basketball coaches and studying successful people in other sports.”
“I think the things that lead to success are the same,” Mazzulla said. “Toughness, unity, connection, the mentality you bring. Is the same. It’s just a matter of getting the right group of people in the right place and then trying to feed that mentality every day. You can learn from anything and everything. You try to be as open-minded as you can.”
Guardiola’s presence at TD Garden did not go unnoticed by fans. The Spanish coach received a standing ovation when he was presented on the stadium’s giant screens.
Without a doubt, this is a special moment for both coaches. Guardiola enjoys the best basketball in the world, while Mazzulla puts into practice the lessons learned from the successful Spanish coach.
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