Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is dealing with the aftermath of his technical foul call in Thursday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls. Mazzulla received the technical foul after stepping on the court to fiercely question an official’s jump-ball decision during a critical moment of the game.
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Following the foul call, Mazzulla was find $35,000 "for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official." That call led to a snowball effect of tech’s to be called on two more Boston players before the end of the matchup.
Shortly after Mazzulla received the tech call, 2023-2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was next in line to be hit with a technical foul after telling the referee he disagreed with the call. Finally, just a few possessions later Jayson Tatum was the third Celtic to receive a technical foul in one game.
To make matters worse, Boston could not put up enough fight to secure a victory, and had an all-around rough night on both ends of the floor.
Mazzulla addressed the media in regards to the fine he received following the matchup.
“It is what it is. Those are the rules,” Mazzulla told reporters in a press conference. He says he expected the fines, but wasn’t necessarily trying to send a message. “I don’t know if it’s about sending a message, but at the time, did what I needed to do, and move on.”
The officiating in Thursday’s matchup against the Bulls sparked lots of conversation from fans about whether or not the officiating in the NBA should be addressed. Fans are complaining just as much as players and coaches about touch fouls, and overwhelming amount of whistle blows, and officials intolerance for drama in the league.
As a result, lots of players and fans flooded social media in support of the fiery reaction from Coach Mazzulla, and his players stood behind him following the matchup.
“Joe’s competitive and we all enjoy that aspect of him,”Pritchard told reporters prior to the Celtics squaring off with the Bulls in Chicago, per CLNS Media’s Noa Dalzell. “Very competitive. He wants to win every moment, every game, every day and he instills that in all of us. So, I’m sure he didn’t mind taking the fine.”
Other Celtic fans believe the reaction from Mazzulla might just be the wake-up call this team needs in order to refocus for the remainder of the season. The Celtics have racked up a few uncharacteristic losses to teams under .500 this season, and are hopeful to turn things around in the coming matchups.
