THE Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to four games and became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season with their 127-112 victory over the Phoenix Suns Thursday evening. However, it was a defensive play from their head coach, Joe Mazzulla, that finally got everyone talking.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown recovered a pass from Grayson Allen and delivered a huge slam to put an exclamation point on the victory and force a timeout. As both teams headed to their benches, Suns forward Royce O’Neale tried to shoot a 3-pointer, as players often do after the whistle.
Mazzulla wasn’t having it. He started with strong competition on O’Neale, whose effort echoed off the rim.
After the match, Mazzulla explained his defensive effort:
“I saw a guy come in to try to shoot and he didn’t make one and I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,” Mazzulla said. “[Boston Globe writer] Gary [Washburn] asked me about this a month ago and it’s a rule of thumb. Guys don’t shoot in front of our bench to go back to their bench and feel good about themselves. If I ask the guys to participate, the staff must do the same.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the mindset and the approach we take, and that’s within the rules of the game. It’s about setting the tone, and that’s just that. “One of the biggest pet peeves is thinking I’m going to get a free shot and that’s not how it works. If we want to maintain our team at a quality level, we demand the same from our staff. There were times when we missed it and I held the staff to respect that we are responsible for that, and we have to do our best not to.”
Players blocking their opponents’ shots in dead ball situations is nothing new. Former Celtics star Kevin Garnett insisted on doing it so much that there is a full film on YouTube of his blocks after the whistle.
However, a coach entering the fray is now notable.
“Joe being Joe” Jayson Tatum said. “That’s who Joe is. When he did it, I wasn’t caught off guard. I expect him or one of the coaches to do that. I have to like Joe for Joe’s sake.”
The Celtics have the second-ranked defense in the league this season and are allowing just 110.4 points per 100 possessions, which is a big part of why they’re 52-14 and six games ahead of everyone else of the league. If antics like this from Mazzulla help them stay locked down to maintain this form, then more power to him.
