Celtics remove interim tag, name Mazzulla head coach

Joe Mazzulla has been so steady guiding the Celtics through a franchise-shaking crisis that their turbulent offseason has taken a back seat to their championship aspirations.

The team rewarded him by turning a temporary opportunity of a lifetime into a permanent one.

Boston named Mazzulla its full-time head coach on Thursday, removing the interim tag he had held since stepping in for Ime Udoka in the preseason.

Udoka initially was given a yearlong suspension before training camp for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization. The 34-year-old Mazzulla, previously an assistant under Udoka, will now replace his former boss, who is no longer with the team. Mazzulla is the NBA’s youngest head coach.

“Since I’ve been here I always knew where I stood,” Mazzulla said Thursday. “And even though it was an interim position ... I knew I was going to get a fair shake and get an opportunity. I knew I was going to be able to do it the way that I thought to give us the best chance to be successful without any pressure because of that.”

Mazzulla’s Celtics have the best record in the NBA (42-17) and led Milwaukee by one game in the Eastern Conference ahead of the Bucks’ game at Chicago on Thursday night. Boston won’t play again until after the All-Star break.

The Washington Commanders completed their first day of interviews for the team’s offensive coordinator position with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, according to reports.

Talks on the first day “went well,” and both parties are expected to meet again on Friday, according to ESPN’s John Keim.

Bieniemy’s role as offensive coordinator with the Chiefs has led the team to rank first or second in the league’s most important offensive categories since 2018. The coordinator’s contract with the Chiefs has expired and the Commanders — led by head coach Ron Rivera — seem to be interested in adding Bieniemy to their staff. It was reported that the Baltimore Ravens had interest in Bieniemy, but the team hired Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Tuesday.