Joe Mazzulla was annoyed by hug from former Celtics assistant Charles Lee due to fear of giving away ‘psychological lead’
"He breached NBA rules and came into the assistant coach's locker room and forced me to give him a hug."
Joe Mazzulla isn’t looking to be too friendly with his fellow NBA coaches, at least during the season.
That’s why the Celtics coach was recently annoyed by one of his former assistants, Charles Lee, when they took on the Hornets for two games earlier in November. Mazzulla claimed that Lee, who’s now the Hornets’ head coach, might have tried to gain a competitive edge on him as he was asked about his relationships with other coaches around the league on Friday.
“I told Charles when he left, ‘I’m not talking to you during the season. I’m not waving to you at the national anthem. I’m not doing that. You’re now an enemy,’” Mazzulla told reporters.
“So, he breached NBA rules and came into the assistant coach’s locker room and forced me to give him a hug. That could easily be a psychological tell that knocks you off your game competitively. So, he knew what he was doing.”
Mazzulla explained that little things among friends can “for sure” give away a psychological edge to an opponent. That’s why he seemingly has kept a distance from getting too close to other coaches in the game.
“I wouldn’t say close, but cordial,” Mazzulla said when asked if he’s gotten any closer to any other head coaches since he was promoted during the 2022-23 season. “I reach out to a few certain [coaches]. I’ve had different relationships with guys. So, there’s a cordiality there.
“But it’s very important not to give away psychological tells and things that can lead to an opportunity to give away a psychological lead. So, just trying to be cordial without giving away those psychological components.”
Mazzulla’s coaching style has been viewed as a bit unorthodox, between the way he approaches the game and his conversations with reporters. He also had a couple of interesting mixups last season. In the finale of group play during the in-season tournament, Bulls coach Billy Donovan seemed to confront him as the Celtics were running up the score in order to advance. Later in the year, Mazzulla said he received a warning message after he contested Suns forward Royce O’Neal’s jump shot on a dead ball play.
Following the situation with Donovan, Mazzulla said “I don’t care” when asked if he was concerned about how other coaches might view him. But he still wants to maintain a level of respect between him and other coaches.
“There’s a respect factor there,” Mazzulla said. “Like, I learn from everyone. I’m always studying them. I think there’s great coaches there. But as far as off-court communication, if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. So, it’s more about making sure you have a respect of the work ethic in what they do because there’s a lot of great ones out there. I respect them so much that I try to take from all of them.”
Lee’s hug didn’t give the Hornets a psychological edge that was enough to beat the Celtics earlier in November, with Boston sweeping the back-to-back set in Charlotte. But that doesn’t mean Mazzulla will look back fondly at the embrace Lee gave him ahead of those games, making it clear how he felt when asked if he enjoyed his former assistant’s hug.
“No,” Mazzulla succinctly responded.
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