"I'll always bet on Payton," Mazzulla says

ON THE LAST day of September, with the Celtics two days into training camp, Pritchard and Mazzulla convene in a two-man huddle on the team’s practice court. There’s a good deal of hand waving, and at one point, Mazzulla sort of elbows Pritchard, perhaps the better to demonstrate the play they seem to be hashing out. It all looks very serious because Mazzulla is famously Very Serious, but then something startling happens. Mazzulla breaks character, then breaks out in a bona fide smile. Mazzulla … likes Pritchard. What’s more, he likes to count on him. “I’ll always bet on Payton,” Mazzulla says.

ON THE LAST day of September, with the Celtics two days into training camp, Pritchard and Mazzulla convene in a two-man huddle on the team’s practice court. There’s a good deal of hand waving, and at one point, Mazzulla sort of elbows Pritchard, perhaps the better to demonstrate the play they seem to be hashing out. It all looks very serious because Mazzulla is famously Very Serious, but then something startling happens. Mazzulla breaks character, then breaks out in a bona fide smile. Mazzulla … likes Pritchard. What’s more, he likes to count on him. “I’ll always bet on Payton,” Mazzulla says.

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “I’ll always bet on Payton,” Mazzulla says