Asked about Hornets coach Charles Lee before the TD Garden rematch, Joe Mazzulla kept it short: "I think he's a hell of a coach."

Lee spent one season on Mazzulla's staff, including the 2023-24 title run, before Charlotte hired him in May 2024.

Mazzulla frames Lee as a friend and a coach he learned from, not part of a Mazzulla coaching tree.

A day after Pritchard's two-year, $44.2 million extension, Mazzulla said he plays with a chip on his shoulder but doesn't have an ego.

Lee, who coached Pritchard in Boston, said the guard works so hard and "genuinely loves" the game.

Joe Mazzulla coaches the Celtics at Washington, Dec. 15, 2024. Photo: Hameltion / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.

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