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Joe Mazzulla explains viral moment of yelling at injured Jayson Tatum
"I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with the guys."
A packed TD Garden crowd held its collective breath on Sunday as Jayson Tatum writhed in pain on the parquet floor.
Down the other end of the court, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had a far different reaction as his best player nursed his ailing wrist.
In a clip that has now gone viral on social media, cameras caught Mazzulla yelling at Tatum to “get up” while holding back a trainer. Tatum — who hit the court hard after getting fouled by Orlando guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while going up for a dunk — eventually got back on his feet en route to a Game 1 blowout win over Orlando.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Auerbach Center, Mazzulla — in expected fashion — had a simple response when asked what message he was looking to convey while yelling Tatum.
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“Love.”
Boston’s candid coach then elaborated on his response.
“At the end of the day, I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with the guys,” Mazzulla said. “I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with him, and you love guys in different ways. But everything is built on love. Everything is built on the relationship that we have, their self-expression.
“They allow me to be who I am. And they trust — we have a trust for each other, but it all starts with love. And so in that moment, it looks different in different moments. But I appreciate who he is as a competitor and our team in that moment, but it all starts with that.”
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Mazzulla’s intensity has been put on display numerous times, especially when it comes to responding to adversity and physicality.
Earlier this season, Mazzulla even endorsed the possibility of allowing fighting in basketball, similar to the rules in the NHL.
“The biggest thing that we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is, you can’t fight anymore,” Mazzulla said on 98.5 The Sports Hub in October. “We should bring back fighting. If you want to talk about robbing the league of entertainment, what’s more entertaining than a little scuffle?
“You get to go to a baseball game — how come in baseball they’re allowed to clear the benches? How come in hockey they’re allowed to? I don’t understand.”
Mazzulla’s musings are often exemplified during the postseason, especially when the physicality ramps up.
After the Celtics and Heat got into an on-court skirmish in April 2024, Boston’s head coach was left wanting more.
“I was kind of excited about the whole situation. So I enjoyed watching it,” Mazzulla said after Jaylen Brown and Caleb Martin exchanged words after Martin delivered a hard foul against Tatum.
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While Tatum was able to remain in the game Sunday following his fall, the superstar forward may not be cleared for Wednesday’s Game 2 rematch against Orlando. He was tabbed as “doubtful” on the team’s injury report Tuesday due to a bone bruise on his wrist.
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