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‘He said that?’: Joe Mazzulla’s reaction to Pat Riley’s Boston trash talk
"That’s fun. That’s awesome. Damn.”
Joe Mazzulla loved Pat Riley’s trash-talk: The Sunday matchup between the Celtics and Lakers — always a clash of NBA rivals — had an extra charge thanks to an old adversary.
Pat Riley, an iconic fixture in the eternal Boston vs. Los Angeles rivalry, was on-hand for a Lakers statue dedication, and produced some predictably fiery pregame soundbites. Speaking at the unveiling of his statue outside the team’s arena, the longtime Lakers head coach closed his address with a line that drew some of the loudest cheers of the day.
“The time has come to kick some ass, to kick some Boston ass,” he emphatically told the gathered crowd.
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Unfortunately for Riley, no one told the current Lakers roster about his message. Los Angeles proceeded to lose to the Celtics 111-89 in a less-than-competitive matchup.
After the game, however, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was thrilled to learn about Riley’s enduring hatred of Boston. When the quote was referenced by Boston Globe reporter Gary Washburn, an incredulous Mazzulla was noticeably excited.
“He said that?” Mazzulla replied while grinning. “Man I wish I would have heard that. That’s fun. That’s awesome. Damn.”
Mazzulla continued to echo the sentiment, repeating that it was “awesome” to learn about Riley’s trash-talking.
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Despite the pageantry of the matchup and rivalry, Mazzulla still emphasized the need for his team to not get carried away and too focused on one matchup.
“I think we have to find a way to do it at Phoenix,” he told reporters per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “If it’s a short-term thing, if it’s an extrinsic thing that gets you, it’s going to be very hard to turn that into an intrinsic one 48 hours from now, but I think having the gratitude and perspective of what a game like this means, and being aware of your atmosphere brings out the best in people.”
Trivia: Pat Riley’s final NBA championship as a head coach came in 2006 with the Heat. What team did he beat in the NBA Finals?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: The opposing head coach was Avery Johnson.
Scores and schedules:
U.S. men’s hockey won gold for the first time since 1980 after a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the Olympic final on Sunday. Jack Hughes scored the winner for Team USA (see below).
The Winter Olympics culminated after a few final Sunday events (including men’s hockey) with the closing ceremonies. In all, Team USA finished with a national record of 12 Winter Olympic golds, and 33 medals overall. Of course, there was no stopping Norway (and its national population of approximately 5.5 million), which cruised to a medal count victory: 18 golds, 41 overall medals.
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Closer to home, the Celtics crushed the Lakers in the aforementioned Sunday matchup, 111-89. Boston will face the Suns in Phoenix on Tuesday at 9 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Team USA writes a new chapter and other takeaways from gold-medal triumph over Canada
- Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard dominate in blowout win over Lakers: 7 takeaways
- Johnny Gaudreau’s memory surrounded Team USA during run to Olympic gold
- Jack Hughes lost teeth from a high-stick to the mouth before his Olympic gold-winning goal
- Bruins react to McAvoy, Swayman’s gold-medal win over Canada
- 9 thoughts on the Red Sox, leading off with Roman Anthony’s potential sophomore season
- Alex Cora gives an early preview of Red Sox 2026 lineup
- After homering in spring training debut, could Andruw Monasterio play big role for Red Sox in 2026?
- 5 takeaways from the Revolution’s season-opening defeat in Nashville
- 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup: 7 names for Patriots fans to know entering combine week
Real-time news: While holding a Sunday press conference prior to the major snowstorm heading for Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu found out live that Jack Hughes had scored the gold medal-winning goal for Team USA at the Olympics.
Inside Jayson Tatum’s recovery: The latest sign of a potential return is the first episode of an NBC series featuring the Celtics’ star.
On this day: In 1972, the Bruins rallied from a 6-1 deficit to defeat the California Golden Seals 8-6. Fred Stanfield finished with a hat-trick, while Bobby Orr scored a goal and tallied four assists. Off the ice, Boston traded for California All-Star defenseman Carol Vadnais in a five-player deal.
Elsewhere, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 113-111. In men’s college hockey, Boston College staged a 7-5 comeback win against rival Boston University to give legendary head coach John Kelley his 500th career win, an unprecedented achievement among NCAA Division-I men’s hockey coaches at that point.
Daily highlight: Jack Hughes scored the golden goal for Team USA on Sunday, clinching the first men’s hockey Olympic title since 1980.
Trivia answer: Dallas Mavericks
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