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Boston’s Joe Mazzulla is sleeping with his mouth taped shut

On a recent appearance on WEEI’s “Zolak and Bertrand” show (courtesy of NBC Sports Boston), Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about an unusual habit he has, and whether he still does it. “I still do, highly recommended,” came the response from Mazzulla. The West Virginia alum revealed that he sleeps with tape on his mouth every night to maximize his sleeping time, it seems.

“I actually have a mouthpiece, I upgraded to a sleep mouthpiece, and that helps with it,” he explained. “When I got into the NBA, I learned how long a season it is physically, mentally, and emotionally, and I think coaches and players have to find ways to take care of themselves.”

“It’s important to optimize as much as you can,” suggested the Celtics head coach.

“I remember my first year in the league, I wasn’t used to having all this great food around — food in the facility, pregame, postgame, food on the plane,” added Mazzulla.

“I got really worn down and tired halfway through my first year, I just took a different approach and was like, ‘How can I optimize to make sure I’m at my best as a coach?’; so, sleep is really important and mouth tape plays a part in that for me.”

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire