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THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JunE 21, 2024 Page 19 Fans salute Celtics, Banner 18 at championship parade today new England native, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla uses his religious values to lead team to the nBA title By Joe McConnell A fter a five-year drought between championship parades, Boston’s iconic duck boats are being rolled out today (June 21) to escort the Boston Celtics around the city for Boston sports fans to cheer them on once again after they secured Banner 18 Monday night, June 17, at the TD Garden. They ended up defeating the Dallas Mavericks going away, 106-88 to win the 2024 NBA Finals four games to one. Led by Jaylen Brown, the NBA Finals MVP, and Jason Tatum, the Celtics have jumped over the Los Angeles Lakers, their longtime rivals, in championship banners, 1817 after the Game 5 win over fi fth-seeded Dallas, the western conference champs. There’s also a local element to this championship story that makes it more compelling in the eyes of the partisan Boston fan. Second-year Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was born in Johnston, R.I. on June 30, 1988. He attended Bishop Hendricken High School, an institution noted for its excellence in sports for decades in the Ocean State. Mazzulla was an integral player on three of its state championship boys basketball teams, including hitting a last-second shot to secure the third title in his senior campaign. Mazzulla went on to play for the West Virginia Mountaineers, where as a freshman in 2007, he helped the team win the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Mountaineers made the NCAA Tournament in 2008, and were able to upset Duke in a second-round game. Mazzulla was credited with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists to help lead his teammates past the Blue Devils. He then suff ered a shoulder injury the following year. But as a redshirt junior, Mazzulla led the Mountaineers to the 2010 NCAA Final Four as one of the team’s captains. However, they lost to eventual champion Duke in a semifi nal game. Prior to that contest in the Elite 8 game against Kentucky, Mazzulla scored a thencareer-high 17 points to help his teammates pull off the upset. As a senior, Mazzulla avSay nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Can You Stop and Restart Social Security Benefi ts? Dear Savvy Senior, Can I stop my Social Security retirement benefi ts and restart them later to get a bigger payment? I recently got a nice unexpected inheritance, so don’t need the money from Social Security right now. If possible, I would like to suspend my benefi ts and restart them at age 70. Do-over Dan Dear Dan, Yes, there are actually two diff erent strategies that allow Social Security benefi - ciaries to undo their claiming decision. But to be eligible, there are certain conditions you’ll have to meet. Here’s what you should know. Withdrawal Benefi ts If you are in your fi rst year While doing his postgame media obligations Monday night following the victory over Dallas that clinched the organization’s 18th head coach Joe Mazzullo proudly proclaims his love for God on his shirt, a sentiment that he has also passed along to his team. (Courtesy photo) eraged 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Throughout his collegiate career, he had 700 points and 340 assists. Mazzulla started his coaching career at Glenville State as an assistant in 2011. Two years later, he became an assistant at Fairmont State, before becoming an assistant for the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics G League team during the 2016-17 season. He returned to Fairmont State to become its head coach in 2017, before returning to the Celtics organization in 2019 as one of the NBA’s team’s assistant coaches. He was promoted to head coach for the 2022-23 season, taking over for Ime Udoka. One year later, he guided the team to the organization’s 18th championship, the youngest coach ever to win an NBA title in the history of the league, beating out former Celtics player-coach and legendary Hall of Famer Bill Russell by months. But what struck many fans throughout this year’s playoff run was Mazzulla’s references to his faith in God during postgame press conferences. After the Celtics won the championship on Monday night, he was seen wearing a shirt with the words “BUT FIRST…LET ME THANK GOD” on it. As a devout Roman Catholic, he’d recite the rosary hours before home games, while walking around the fabled parquet court at the TD Garden with rosary beads his wife, Camai Roberson Mazzulla, made for him out of remnants from the original Celtics fl oor. His players to a man bought into his ideals, often citing God during their postgame media obligations after Monday’s game. Mazzulla uses his religious values to establish in some cases his coaching strategy. His message is simple: Great leadership is centered around humility and selfl essness, and he believes his players refl ect that philosophy. He recently said: “You see it right in front of your face, and you see a group of guys doing it, and it doesn’t get the appreciation and the recognition that it deserves.” In this day and age, where many shy away from publicly professing their religious beliefs, Joe Mazzullo is not afraid to follow the word of God. Through his lifestyle, he has become a championship coach in the long and storied history of the Boston Celtics. But he has also proven that he’s more importantly a winner off the court. championship, Boston Celtics second-year of collecting retirement benefi ts, you can apply to Social Security for a “withdrawal of benefi ts.” Social Security will let you withdraw your original application for retirement benefits, but it must be within 12 months of the date you fi rst claimed your benefi ts. If you opt for a withdrawal, Social Security will treat it as if you never applied for benefi ts in the fi rst place. But there’s a catch. You’ll have to repay every dollar you’ve received, including those of any family members who have been collecting benefi ts on your earnings record, such as a spouse or minor child, along with any money that was withheld from your Social Security payments – for example, to pay your Medicare premiums. You can only withdraw your application for Social Security benefi ts once, but you can apply for benefits again later when the monthly amount would be larger. To withdrawal your benefi ts, fi ll out Social Security form SSA-521 (see ssa.gov/ forms/ssa-521.pdf) and send the completed form to your local Social Security offi ce. If you change your mind, you have 60 days from the date Social Security approves your withdrawal to cancel the request. Suspend Benefi ts If, however, you miss the 12-month window, or if repaying your Social Security benefi ts is not fi nancially feasible, there is another doover option, but you’ll need to be full retirement age or older to be eligible. Full retirement age is 66 and 6 months for those born in 1957, but it rises in two-month increments every birth year to age 67 for those born in 1960 and later. You can fi nd your full retirement age at SSA.gov/benefi ts/retirement/planner/ageincrease.html. At that point, you can “suspend” your Social Security benefi t and the good news is you don’t have to repay anything. But the bad news is your monthly Social Security benefi ts stop and so do those of any dependent family members (except a divorced spouse). During the suspension, you will also accrue delayed retirement credits, which will increase your monthly retirement benefi t by two-thirds of 1 percent for each suspended month (or 8 percent for each suspended year) up until age 70. Suspended benefi ts would automatically resume at 70, or you could choose to resume Social Security benefi ts earlier, but you’d only receive delayed retirement credits for the period when benefi ts were suspended. You can request a Social Security suspension over the phone (800-722-1213), in writing or in person at your local Social Security offi ce. The suspension would begin the month after you make the request. Also note that if you’re enrolled in Medicare, there’s another consequence of withdrawing or suspending your benefi ts. Normally, Medicare Part B premiums ($174.70 per month in 2024 for most benefi ciaries) are deducted directly from monthly Social Security payments. If you withdrawal or suspend your benefits and you’re enrolled in Medicare Part B, you’ll start receiving a quarterly bill from Medicare. You’ll have the option of paying electronically or by mail. Or you can sign up for Medicare’s Easy Pay, which automatically deducts your premium payments from your savings or checking account each month. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior

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