Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla hopes NBA institutes heightened level of physicality: ‘Bring back fighting’
Since stepping into the Boston Celtics head coaching role, Joe Mazzulla has been willing to offer his unfiltered thoughts.
During a recent appearance on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub radio station, the spirited coach shared his latest perspective. If Mazzulla had his way, the NBA would introduce rules that would permit fights to take place during games.
The NBA championship winning coach cited the sport’s entertainment value when he spoke about his hopes of seeing fights become an active part of the league.
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“I think the biggest thing that we rob people from as an entertainment standpoint is you can’t fight anymore,” Mazzulla said. “I wish you could bring back fighting.”
He then argued that “a little scuffle” was one of the most entertaining aspects of any game.
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“I mean, you aren’t talking about robbing the league of entertainment. What’s more entertaining than when there is a little scuffle?”
The 36-year-old coach added that a power play, which would effectively give a brief advantage to the number of players on the court, should be on the table for the NBA.
“Hey, I mean, basketball is one of the only sports that doesn’t have a power play,” Mazzulla said.
“I think soccer just put in the ‘blue card’ where a guy has to go off, and it’s a 10 on 9. Like we should have a power play. Because let’s say you have a technical or let’s say you get a take foul, and you get the one shot, but you’re not really rewarded for that because if you miss it, you don’t get the reward for that take foul. So there should be like a power play where on a take foul or on a technical, you have to play five on four for five seconds or three passes.”
In June, Mazzula became the youngest coach to win an NBA title. He was 35 when the Celtics won a league record 18th championship.
Mazzulla’s push for league-approved fights is not the first time his tenacity has been highlighted. During a Celtics-Suns game in March, Mazzulla attempted to block a player on the opposing team’s shot.
In the fourth quarter of the game in question, Celtics star Jaylen Brown intercepted a pass and sprinted the other way for an impressive dunk. The turnover prompted a timeout, and Suns forward Royce O’Neale attempted to shoot the ball shortly after the whistle.
Players often casually throw up a shot that they know won’t count after referees blow the whistle, but coaches do not normally attempt to contest it.
Mazzulla lunged and tried to block O’Neale’s three-pointer, which ultimately bounced off the rim.
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Mazzulla offered an explanation for his actions in the postgame press conference.
“I saw a guy going in to try to get a shot, and he hadn’t made 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 that a month ago, and that’s a bench rule. Guys don’t shoot shots in front of our bench to go back to their bench to feel good about themselves. If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, the staff’s gotta do the same.”
The Celtics have gotten off to a 4-0 start this season. The Indiana Pacers host Boston on Oct. 30.
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