Boston Celtics officially name Joe Mazzulla head coach, remove interim tag

BOSTON -- Joe Mazzulla is an interim head coach no more. The Celtics removed the interim tag from the 34-year-old on Thursday, giving him a contract extension and announcing Mazzulla as the franchise's 19th head coach.

Mazzulla has certainly earned the gig too, guiding the Celtics to an NBA-best 42-17 record thus far this season. The Celtics hit the All-Star break as the beat team in the NBA, a title they've held pretty much from the jump.

"As he has shown, Joe is a very talented coach and leader," said Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations. "He has a unique ability to galvanize a room around a mission. We are thankful for the work he has done to help get us to this point, and excited that he has agreed to lead us into the future."

Mazzulla has handled just about everything that has come his and the Celtics' way in the wake of Ime Udoka's season-long suspension, whom he officially replaced at head coach on Thursday. Mazzulla took over a team that went to the NBA Finals last season, and the Celtics haven't missed a beat under his tutelage. 

Boston started the year 18-4, earning Mazzulla Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors for October/November. Jayson Tatum has been playing at an MVP level, and and the Boston defense currently ranks fourth in the NBA with a defensive rating of 110.6.

Mazzulla is now off to the NBA All-Star Game, where he'll serve as head coach of Team Giannis in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Johnston, Rhode Island native is just the third first-year head coach over the last 24 seasons to helm an All-Star team, and is the eighth coach in Celtics history to earn the honor.