Why the Celtics’ Banner 18 Parade Won’t Be Mazzulla’s First Duck Boat Ride

The Boston Celtics are set to celebrate their 2024 NBA Finals victory with a grand parade on Friday morning, showcasing the Larry O'Brien Trophy. In true Boston fashion, the players, coaches, their families, and team staff will travel along the parade route in the iconic duck boats. For many, it will be their first experience aboard these famous vehicles. However, for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, this won't be his first duck boat ride.

Mazzulla took an unconventional approach to the Celtics' coaching retreat ahead of the 2023-24 season. Instead of escaping to a remote or luxurious location, he opted for a local retreat in Boston, which included a duck boat tour. Explaining his decision on the Zolak and Bertrand show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Mazzulla shared his intention behind this unique choice.

"We did a duck boat tour. We kinda spoke it into existence with the duck boat tour. So the staff took one. Most coaching retreats, guys go away — go to the beach, go to Cape Cod, go to different places. We did our coaching retreat in downtown Boston," Mazzulla said. "We had new staff members, and we were building this identity and connection to the city. So I said, 'We're doing our staff retreat in Boston, we're going to dinner in Boston, and we're going to a Boston hotel and do the duck boat tour so we can understand the city and the history. We need to know what this is really all about.' So we did one at the beginning of the year and we're gonna end with one."

Mazzulla expressed his excitement about experiencing the duck boat ride again, this time to celebrate the Celtics' championship with the fans. "I'm really excited to see how the people support the players; that's going to be awesome," Mazzulla said. "The coolest thing about coaching is watching a group of guys sacrifice everything, which I think our guys did. I thought it went underappreciated — the mindset, the humility, the sacrifice that the guys did throughout the season. And it's going to be really fun to watch them enjoy that."

The last time the Celtics held a championship parade was in 2008, following the victory of the new Big 3—Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen—over Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers. This year's championship team, led by young superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, secured a five-game Finals series win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Friday's parade will mark the 13th duck boat title celebration for Boston sports teams this century, a testament to the city's remarkable sports success. NBC Sports Boston's para