87It’s not typically that you simply see the Boston Celtics log the identical quantity of made threes as technical fouls in 1 / 4, however that was the case within the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
On an evening when Boston made simply 25% of its long-distance makes an attempt, frustrations have been already excessive. The Celtics have been taking part in the identical model of basketball as they all the time do: robust effort on the defensive finish, creativity and good ball motion on the offensive finish, and a excessive quantity of three-point makes an attempt.
It simply wasn’t working.
“Yeah, I feel we performed a high-level defensive recreation within the first half, and I assumed we fought for excellent photographs,” stated head coach Joe Mazzulla. “And after we, you understand, I assumed it was one of many occasions the place lack of shot-making simply type of took a toll on our protection over time, they usually made some powerful ones, particularly late within the clock. And, you understand, you’re employed the perfect you’ll be able to to defend at a excessive stage, whatever the end result on the different finish… I feel, you understand, if you shoot 25% however you’re preventing for excellent seems to be, and you’ve got a workforce that shoots 37% simply type of wears on you a little bit bit.”
But, they nonetheless discovered themselves inside three factors of Chicago with 5:12 to play in regulation.
Then this occurred.
Each Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown concurrently tied up Ayo Dosunmu for a leap ball, after the Bulls guard secured a rebound. The official, Justin Van Duyne, determined that Pritchard can be the Celtic doing the leap, after which issues obtained testy.
Van Duyne whistled Mazzulla for a technical foul after which Brown suffered the identical destiny shortly after.
Technical on Joe Mazzulla. Sam Cassell and Tony Dobbins saved him from doubtlessly getting a second one. Mazzulla later had extra to say within the course of Justin Van Duyne.
Jaylen Brown obtained a technical as I used to be typing this. pic.twitter.com/7QQnb1SwGL
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) December 20, 2024
Throughout his postgame availability, Mazzulla insisted that he was teched up for being on the courtroom since that’s towards NBA guidelines.
Although his coach wouldn’t budge, Brown had loads to say about what occurred, together with his opinion that Mazzulla didn’t earn the technical.
“Right here’s the factor. Like, no, you get fined (as a participant),” Brown defined. “I obtained fined a few weeks in the past for, like, inadvertent gestures, you understand, it’s decided not part of the sport which was high quality. I took the high quality, however like, what a part of the sport is, like a ref, you understand, calling an inadvertent technical foul? After which, like, I stated to him, ‘You name the tech for no purpose.’ He stated, ‘In case you say it to me once more, I’m gonna name one other tech.’ You name the tech for no purpose, then you definitely name the tech like, man, get out of right here. You possibly can’t threaten guys with a technical foul. That’s not a part of the sport both. You realize, you need to discover individuals for gestures and all these items. Discover that like there’s some bulls—-, like, we have been down three at the moment on the leap ball. Then that led to us being down eight. You realize that impacts the sport. You realize that might have been averted. Joe didn’t say something to deserve a tech.”
From that time within the recreation on, the Celtics’ frustrations continued to boil over. They have been outscored 18-12, Jayson Tatum picked up a technical of his personal, after which tempers flared after the ultimate buzzer.
Mazzulla needed to be held again by Boston’s bench as he had some phrases for Van Duyne. It would’ve been essentially the most upset we’ve seen. In accordance with him, he was simply ensuring he wished the officers a Merry Christmas.
“I wasn’t positive I used to be going to see them earlier than the vacation, and I simply can’t let a second go by to the place you would like somebody you understand, simply the perfect to them and theirs and their households.”
Don’t get it twisted, The officers are to not blame for the Celtics shedding this recreation. The Celtics are. They didn’t make photographs that they might usually make and let these frustrations boil over into different features of their recreation.
