Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Told To Stop Controversial In-Game Tactic

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is an interesting guy, whose quirks either endear him to people or drive them crazy.

His tendency to try and block opponent’s shots after timeouts is one of those quirks, and was on full display in last Thursday’s matchup with the Suns. Mazzulla went into a full stretch to contest Phoenix forward Royce O’Neale’s practice shot after a timeout in Boston’s eventual win. It caught people’s attention and spread beyond the borders of Boston, which in turn will put an end to it.

“I’ve been told I can’t do that anymore,” Mazzulla said in an appearance on 98.5’s “Zolak and Bertrand” on Wednesday.

Who told him to stop?

“I can’t say,” Mazzulla said. “All I know is I won’t be doing that anymore.”

Mazzulla’s tendency to contest shots wasn’t for fun. It stems from his desire to prove to his players that he’s all in, which is nice if you think about it.

“That was 100% a move to break the barrier between coach and player to say, ‘Hey, we are all out here to compete together and we all have a standard we try to hold to,'” Mazzulla said. “I appreciate the players allowing us to be ourselves. One of the gifts that I appreciate the most of coaching this team beyond the tradition and fans, there are very few coaches in the league that are allowed to be themselves by the players. In this players’ league when it’s all about them, I’ll never take for granted that our guys allow us to do that as a staff.”

Mazzulla will have to find another way to do that, as whoever laid down the law seems to be serious about it. It’s the end of a very strange, polarizing era at TD Garden.