Source: Boston Globe / Getty
Joe Mazulla‘s known for his thought-provoking interviews and even-keeled personality, but after the Boston Celtics lost to the 13-15 Chicago Bulls, he let his temper get the best of him.
Last night at the TD Arena, the Celtics might’ve thought it would have been a manageable win, but they probably didn’t expect Zach LaVine to go off for 36 points.
He even outscored Jayson Tatum’s 31-point, 10 rebound performance in the Celtics 117-108 loss.
The Celtics only made a quarter of their threes at 14-56, which probably didn’t help their chances. The Bulls ran over them and handed them their sixth loss of the season, thanks to good shooting and being more dominant on the boards.
While this appears to be what Boston’s downfall was, Coach Mazulla wasn’t buying it, blaming it on techs that were called on Jaylen Brown, Tatum, and a jump ball that officials gave to Payton Pritchard.
Referee Justin Van Duyne made those calls, and as soon as the buzzer went off, so did Mazulla. He immediately runs to center court to have a word with Van Duyne and appears to drop a few F-bombs while his staff and players try to pull him back.
He was asked about the heated moment with the official at the post-game presser, and of course, he didn’t reveal what he exactly told the ref, opting for a more sarcastic answer.
“I hadn’t seen him in a while. So, just a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday… can’t let a moment go by where you don’t wish the best to them and theirs,” he said.
Brown wasn’t able to be as professional, but still took up for his coach.
“You wanna fine people for gestures and all this stuff, fine that,” Brown said. “That’s some bullsh-t … that affects the game. That could have been avoided; Joe didn’t say anything to deserve a tech.”
See how social media is reacting to Mazulla’s war of words below.