NBA Notes: Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, Knicks, Nets, Cam Johnson

Celtics

Coach Joe Mazzulla suggested he wants the Celtics to do more than just defend their championship. He wants them to attack it.

“The phrase ‘defending a title’ is a very passive-aggressive term,” Mazzulla told John Karalis of Locked on Celtics. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend, they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most. Whether you’ve won or haven’t won, your mindset can’t change. You have to understand what goes into winning and losing, commit to the details on a daily basis, and remain aggressive. You’re not defending something, you’re attacking a new goal.”

Mazzulla doesn’t seem intimidated by the idea of repeating, either. Just the opposite.

“People are gonna say the target is on our backs, but I hope it’s right on our forehead in between our eyes,” he said.

The Celtics are the favorites to repeat after their dominating playoff showing last season. And no less than Hoops Wire has them emerging from the East.

Knicks

Knicks owner James Dolan is back at it, reportedly sending a letter to the NBA that indicated he will vote against the league’s new budget.

Dolan and the other 29 owners were set to meet at the annual Board of Governors gathering on Tuesday.

“This will be Dolan’s latest hollow protest vote, the Knicks were reportedly the lone no vote on the massive new national television broadcast deal approved in July and will kick in for the 2025-26 season (not the coming one, but a year from now),” wrote NBC Sports.

“That new television deal pushes forward the league’s strategy of leaning into streaming its games, with some games exclusively on NBC’s Peacock and Amazon Prime, and it follows a strategy the NFL and MLB are using as well. As consumers are cutting the cord and moving away from traditional cable, sports leagues are moving to meet viewers where they are.

“The television deal is not Dolan’s only complaint, he also is not a fan of the league’s revenue sharing plan, which taps some of the team’s local broadcast and sponsorship revenue. Dolan shared his view of the NBA world in a letter to the other owners opposing the new television deal that ESPN’s Wojnarowski obtained in July (when the broadcast plan was approved).”

Nets

In case you missed it, the Nets have consistently high demands on trade offers for forward Cam Johnson, as we relayed here.

There have been multiple reports this offseason of Johnson being available for a trade given Brooklyn’s new direction as a rebuilding franchise and plenty of teams being in need of someone with Johnson’s skill set,” wrote Sharif Phillips-Keaton of Nets Wire. “Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported earlier this summer that the Nets are looking for two first-round picks in a trade for Johnson and given the reality of the new salary cap rules, teams aren’t as willing to dish out draft capital as they used to.”

Again, we have more on Johnson and the potentially interested rival teams right here.