Head coach of the Boston Celtics Joe Mazzulla is a man who takes his job seriously. He makes certain that his team is paying attention to every aspect of the match, and he has publicly stated that there is “no such thing as too intense” when it comes to winning. The Johnston native made sure to deny Phoenix any advantage during Thursday night’s Boston vs. Phoenix Suns game, demonstrating just that.
The Suns player Royce O’Neale caught the dead ball after a timeout in the fourth quarter. O’Neal was getting ready to make a jump shot as players from both teams made their way to their benches. This is a routine occurrence in the NBA. But Mazzulla thought it was inappropriate to give an opponent a free practice shot.
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Mazzulla said, “I saw a guy trying to get a shot who hadn’t made one.” “I didn’t want him to be proud of himself for taking a bench seat.”
“That is the rule of the bench,” Mazzulla said. “Guys don’t take shots in front of our bench in order to feel good about themselves when they return to their bench. The staff have to step up as well if I ask the guys to compete.
Like many coaches, Mazzulla normally makes his way to mid-court as his players head to the bench at the start of a timeout. He was thus in a fantastic position to challenge O’Neale’s practice shot as a result.
We asked the second-year coach to elaborate on his decision. Was he just having fun, or did the incident illustrate his coaching philosophy and message to his players? Mazzulla clarified that this was an accountability exercise.
“I believe it’s significant,” Mazzulla remarked. “I believe it’s a minor game mechanic, a bit of gamesmanship. However, you cannot allow players to feel good about themselves when they return to the bench.
Boston went on to win the game, improving to an NBA-best 52-14 record and, as a result of the Milwaukee Bucks defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, securing a postseason berth.
This is undoubtedly a talented team, but in basketball, the head coach is still the head of the snake.
“It just involves establishing the mood,” Mazzulla clarified. Thinking a guy will just get a free shot is one of my biggest pet peeves. That is simply not how things operate.
