After his group beat the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Boston Celtics teach Joe Mazzulla explained his justification in the back of trying to block a Royce O’Neale jumper for the duration of a stoppage of play late in the game. Let’s just say Charles Barley is amongst the many now not shopping for what he was selling.
“I would’ve knocked the hell out of him, I’m not gonna lie,” Barkley said of Mazzulla on Inside the NBA, per Bill DiFilippo of UPROXX. “I would’ve hit him … I’ma tell you why I don’t like it. What if he stepped on his ankle and harm himself badly. He can’t do that, come on, man.”
The controversial incident happened with 2:58 left in the game, Boston main 124-106. After a timeout was once called, O’Neale stopped just quick of the initial marker for Boston’s teaching box on the right sidelined. As he picked up his dribble and organized to launch a meaningless exercise three-pointer, Mazzulla saw O’Neale and quickly veered back towards him, leaping with his right arm prolonged for a near game-speed contest on the Suns forward’s jumper.
Nothing came of Mazzulla’s weird act in actual time, but he used to be questioned about it on the postgame podium. Instead of an admission that he truly acquired caught up in the warmth of competition, the 35-year-old defended his probably dangerous contest on O’Neale’s jumper.
“I saw a guy going in to strive and get a shot and he hadn’t made one and I didn’t prefer him to sense appropriate about himself going to the bench,” Mazzulla said. “If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, staff’s gotta do the same.”
Jayson Tatum, Jayleb Brown and organisation are nicely inside their rights to contest pictures taken by using opponents after the whistle. Mazzulla, clearly, feels he’s entitled to the same dead-ball gamesmanship as his players.
Good on Barkley for calling him out, hollow hazard of violence notwithstanding. Let’s hope officials step in next time, giving Boston’s second-year train a technical foul for needlessly placing an opposing participant at threat of injury.
