Joe Mazzulla Explains Heated Exchange Celtics Had With Buddy Hield

BOSTON — Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield got under the skin of the Celtics in Boston’s 129-124 win at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

The Celtics assistant coaches took exception to Hield getting up a couple of shots on Boston’s basket following a Pacers timeout in the first half.

That’s a normal occurrence during the course of an NBA game and Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t see Hield crossing any lines.

“Etiquette? This ain’t no country club,” Mazzulla said.

When a situation like that occurs, the other teams usually try to block the shot attempt at the rim to prevent the ball from going into the basket. Mazzulla would have liked to have seen that from his team.

“The rule is we’re supposed to go block it. That’s the rule. That’s the etiquette,” Mazzulla said. “We’re supposed to block shots when the other teams shoots at our basket. That’s the rule.”

Mazzulla even said he came close to taking matters into his own hands when it came to Hield’s shooting after the whistle.

“He was form shooting in front of our bench, so I was waiting for him to go take a shot and I would have blocked it myself,” Mazzulla said. “But he didn’t shoot it. He was form shooting.”

The actions from Hield, who was at the center of controversy in another game against the Celtics earlier this season, resulted in some heated exchanges with Boston’s assistant coaches. But Mazzulla downplayed the interactions.

“It was great-natured. Buddy Hield is a great guy. He’s a great-natured guy,” Mazzulla said. “Remember, he’s the same guy that admitted to his fault at the end of the other game. Remember that? So, he’s a really good guy.”

Hield had another incident with the Celtics when the Pacers bounced Boston from the in-season tournament. The sharpshooter knocked down a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left even though the game was already decided.

But despite all these run-ins with Hield, Mazzulla doesn’t appear to have any animosity — or at least none that he showed — toward the veteran guard.

“I loved that he did that,” Mazzulla said. “It’s part of the game.”

The Celtics and Pacers have already played against one another five times this season. So, Boston won’t get a chance to see Hield and the Pacers again unless the two sides meet in the playoffs.