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When the Boston Celtics had all but wrapped up their game against the Phoenix Suns on March 14, head coach Joe Mazzulla made a rather peculiar decision.
After the Celtics took a commanding 124-106 lead with less than three minutes to go, Royce O’Neale tried to shoot a three-pointer after the Suns took a timeout. Despite it already being a dead ball, Mazzulla tried to block O’Neale’s shot.
During his postgame press conference, Mazzulla explained why he tried to block O’Neale’s shot even though the play was already dead.
“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 per CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell’s X account. “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.”
O’Neale put up a gooseegg in the scoring department against the Celtics. He missed all seven shots he took, including five missed threes.
Jayson Tatum Explains Joe Mazzulla’s Decision
Though many wonder what Mazzulla was thinking when he went for the block, his actions didn’t shock Tatum. During Tatum’s post-game press conference, Tatum said that Mazzulla’s actions fit his character. Better yet, in Tatum’s eyes, that’s something the staff would do.
“Joe being Joe,” Tatum said, per Dalzell’s X account. “That’s who Joe is. When he did it, I wasn’t caught off guard. I expect him or one of the coaches to do that. Gotta love Joe for Joe.”
Tatum has played under Mazzulla as head coach since 2022 and has been on the Celtics’ coaching staff since 2019. Tatum knows how Mazzulla operates, having learned from his guidance for several years.
By that point, the game was all but out of hand. However, Mazzulla didn’t want to leave anything to chance. The Celtics know what it’s like to lose a big lead late in the game, having blown a 22-point lead to the Cavaliers on March 5.
Joe Mazzulla Provides Update on Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth consecutive game for the Celtics when he showed up on their injury report before they took on the Suns. Despite Porzingis missing as many games as they
“He’s getting better and better,” Mazzulla said, per Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account. “He was out there on the court today and he’s progressing. I don’t think it’s long-term. I think you just kind of see how it is day-to-day, but he’s getting steps, feeling good, and he was out there working today with the guys.”
Of the 66 games the Celtics have played, Porzingis has played in 46 of them. At the moment, the Celtics have a nine-and-a-half game lead for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They won’t have to rush Porzingis back and will want him to be healthy for when the postseason starts.
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