I lost to Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics coaches by 53 points and it was the time of my life.

AUERBACH CENTER — After Tuesday’s Celtics practice wrapped up, head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about a media pickup basketball game set to take place later that day at the Auerbach Center.

“I hate to break it to you,” Mazzulla told reporters with a grin. “You’re not playing against each other, you’re playing against the coaches.”

True to his word, once the Celtics’ official practice ended, Mazzulla and six of his assistant coaches took to the court for a Celtics Coaches vs. Celtics Media full-court showdown, organized by the Junior Celtics Academy and New Balance.

Those coaches? Former NBA players Phil Pressey and DaSean Butler, along with former college standouts God Shammgod Jr. (Fairmont State), Amile Jefferson (Duke), Tony Dobbins (Richmond), and DJ MacLeay (Bucknell).

 

The final score told the story: 57–4.

 

You can probably guess who dominated.

From the viewing deck, Jaylen Brown couldn’t stop smiling as the coaches dismantled the media team, while Luke Garza watched the one-sided contest unfold. When it was over, Brown called down jokingly, “Anyone want to do media?” (To his credit, he cheered for us throughout the game.)

 

A Complete Rout

 

“Disaster” doesn’t even begin to cover it. The athletic gap in speed, power, instincts, and skill was impossible to overcome. Even crossing half court felt like an achievement, and grabbing a rebound (I got one!) felt like scoring a touchdown.

Every time we hit the rim, it was reason enough to celebrate. Meanwhile, the coaches rarely missed especially God Shammgod Jr., who couldn’t seem to miss a shot.

It was a humbling reminder of just how vast the gap is between ordinary players and elite athletes. And if the coaches were that good, imagine how much higher the actual Celtics sit on the basketball food chain.

The media team managed just four points credit to Bobby Krivitsky (Forbes) and Khari Thompson (Boston.com) for the only two successful layups. Honestly, even if we replayed that game a hundred times, the score would probably still end around 57–4.

Despite the humiliation, the experience was pure joy. Playing on the Celtics’ practice court, diving for loose balls, and even guarding Joe Mazzulla himself — it was impossible not to smile.

A Basketball Love Story

I fell in love with basketball when I was 11. I’d never been good at sports not tennis, volleyball, or even dodgeball. I was the kid reading in the corner during gym class, trying to get a library pass instead of running laps.

That changed the day I saw a basketball swish through the net. From that moment, I practiced relentlessly, spending hours shooting threes in the driveway with my dad rebounding for me. Eventually, I made my high school varsity team a small miracle and one of my proudest achievements.

I still think about my best game ever the night I hit eight three-pointers against our rivals, Newton North. For a moment, the hoop really did feel as big as the ocean.

I was never good enough to play professionally not even in college but covering the Celtics and the WNBA is an incredible second act. Every day, I remind myself how lucky I am that my “job” is to talk, watch, and write about basketball.

So yes, Celtics Coaches vs. Media was the most lopsided game I’ve ever played.

But it was also one of the best days of my life and I truly hope we get to do it again.