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What Joe Mazzulla said about Malik Beasley’s showboating in front of Celtics bench
"It's the arena. He's earned the right to do that."
Malik Beasley torched the Celtics during a 117-97 rout in Detroit Wednesday night. He scored 26 points off the bench on 10-for-15 shooting. He drained six threes and grabbed five rebounds.
He wasn’t shy about it, either. Whether it was holding his follow through longer than usual after a make or dancing in front of the Celtics bench, Beasley let everyone in Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena know just how much he enjoyed the performance.
“It’s the arena. He’s earned the right to do that,” Mazzulla said. “If you’re playing that way and your team is winning and you feel you’ve earned that right to do that, that’s your choice and that’s on us for allowing them to feel that way. The only way that we control that is by defending him better.”
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Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he was happy to see Beasley’s performance. His reactions to the made threes were authentic, Bickerstaff said.
“That’s kind of who [Beasley] is,” Bickerstaff said. “Having not worked with him before, when you take the time to get to know him, his personality is infectious and I feel like here he has the ability to come show who he is. I told him today that he’s ruining a whole generation of basketball players because now everybody makes a 3 they want to do the damn shimmy instead of getting back on defense, my son included.”
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The Pistons are riding an eight-game winning streak and are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics had won the previous three meetings against Detroit this season.
“I told whoever asked me before the game was this a big game, I said it’s another game for me,” Beasley said. “At this point of our journey we’re all about ourselves right now and I think that’s what’s taken us to another level. Obviously they’re a great team, but we owed them one.”
Beasley has emerged as one of Payton Pritchard’s top challengers for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Pritchard is still the favorite, but Beasley’s shotmaking for the up-and-coming Pistons has some taking notice.
“I’m having a blast out there,” Beasley said. “This team is special. I love my role. Just got to keep going.”
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