‘I’ve been told I can’t do that anymore’: Joe Mazzulla said he won’t try to block shots again
The Celtics' coach was criticized after he attempted to prevent Royce O'Neal from shooting following a timeout.
The question of whether or not Celtics’ coach Joe Mazzulla would cause controversy again in the future by attempting to block a player’s shot was given what appears to be a definitive answer on Wednesday.
According to Mazzulla, who joined 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” for his weekly interview, the window has closed on the unorthodox strategy.
It received recent attention after Mazzulla casually jumped to try and block the three-point attempt from Suns forward Royce O’Neal late in the fourth quarter during the Celtics’ 127-112 win on March 14.
“I saw a guy going in to try to get a shot and hadn’t made one, and I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game. “It’s the bench rule. Guys don’t shoot shots in front of our bench to go back to their bench to feel good about themselves. I’m going to ask the [players] to contest, the staff’s got to do the same.”
The choice to actually attempt a block on a player’s shot — even after the whistle had been blown — was condemned by some NBA commentators, including Charles Barkley.
For his part Mazzulla, said he wanted to cause a stir.
“I hope we piss everybody off,” he admitted during the Wednesday interview.
Still, it seems unlikely that he (or anyone on the Celtics’ staff) will attempt a block again.
“I don’t think it’s a rule, but I’m sure it will be in the next 24-48 hours,” Mazzulla explained, alluding to a formal league response.
“I’ve been told I cant do that anymore,” he revealed. When pressed about who had specifically told him that, the Celtics’ coach declined to reveal the source of the information.
“I cant say,” said Mazzulla. “All I know is we won’t be doing it anymore.”
Despite the negative response to his attempted defense, the second-year head coach remained convinced that what he had done was for the benefit of his team.
Mazzulla said it was all about helping to set (and reinforce) the Celtics’ “mindset” against its opponents.
“We want our opponents to constantly be uncomfortable,” he noted. “We don’t want to give them an edge at any point. So I appreciate the players allowing us to be ourselves and I appreciate the staff buying into that.”
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