After his team beat the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla explained his justification behind attempting to block a Royce O’Neale jumper during a stoppage of play late in the game. Let’s just say Charles Barley is among the many not buying what he was selling.
“I would’ve knocked the hell out of him, I’m not gonna lie,” Barkley said of Mazzulla on Inside the NBA, per Bill DiFilippo of UPROXX. “I would’ve hit him … I’ma tell you why I don’t like it. What if he stepped on his ankle and hurt himself badly. He can’t do that, come on, man.”
The controversial incident occurred with 2:58 left in the game, Boston leading 124-106. After a timeout was called, O’Neale stopped just short of the initial marker for Boston’s coaching box on the right sidelined. As he picked up his dribble and prepared to launch a meaningless practice three-pointer, Mazzulla saw O’Neale and quickly veered back toward him, leaping with his right arm extended for a near game-speed contest on the Suns forward’s jumper.
Nothing came of Mazzulla’s bizarre act in real time, but he was questioned about it on the postgame podium. Instead of an admission that he simply got caught up in the heat of competition, the 35-year-old defended his potentially dangerous contest on O’Neale’s jumper.
“I saw a guy going in to try and 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. “If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, staff’s gotta do the same.”
Jayson Tatum, Jayleb Brown and company are well within their rights to contest shots taken by opponents after the whistle. Mazzulla, clearly, feels he’s entitled to the same dead-ball gamesmanship as his players.
Good on Barkley for calling him out, hollow threat of violence notwithstanding. Let’s hope officials step in next time, giving Boston’s second-year coach a technical foul for needlessly putting an opposing player at risk of injury.
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