Why Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Contested Suns’ Shot During Timeout

BOSTON — The Celtics embrace a defensive identity arguably better than any other team in the NBA and that mindset isn’t exclusive to the players in uniform.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla calls upon his players to elevate their efforts defensively. To make his point, Mazzulla holds himself, as well as his coaching staff to the same standards. If there is a shot from an opponent, someone better contest it.

On Thursday night, that’s exactly what Mazzulla did.

With the Celtics leading the Suns by 18 points late in the fourth quarter, Phoenix forward Royce O’Neale launched a shot at the basket after the whistle. Mazzulla saw the attempt out of the corner of his eye, pivoted from high-fiving Al Horford and leaped to contest the shot.

The video from the TNT broadcast has certainly picked up steam since the end of Boston’s 127-112 win. While it may be a humorous clip to fans, Mazzulla explained his move with a serious message in mind for his team.

“I saw a guy going in to try and get a shot,” Mazzulla told reporters after the win. “He hadn’t made one. I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench. I got asked about that a month ago. That’s a bench rule. Guys don’t shoot shots in front of our bench to go back to their bench feeling good about themselves. If I’m going to ask the guys to contest, the staff has to do the same.”

Mazzulla’s attempt certainly caught the media by surprise as a new aspect of his coaching regime. With that in mind, have players picked up on it?

“I’m not even sure that they even know,” Mazzulla said. “They might know now. I’m not sure they knew up until now. I think it’s important. I think it’s a small detail in the game. It’s a little gamesmanship, but you can’t have guys going back to the bench feeling good about themselves.”

Mazzulla’s players certainly do know of his undervalued in-game tactic. For the Celtics’ stars, they’d expect nothing less from the head coach they’ve come to know in his second season leading Boston.

“I’ve definitely seen him do it in the past,” Jaylen Brown said postgame. “If the guy keeps trying to shoot, Joe will just keep playing defense. He’ll take it as far as he needs to. I missed that one. I wish I had seen it, though.”

Mazzulla shared that the concept began during his first season as the Celtics head coach. His intentions spread throughout the coaching staff and he will surely stay committed to upholding his end of the bargain moving forward.

“I did it last year,” Mazzulla recalled. “I’ve done it multiple times. I don’t care. At the end of the day, it’s about the approach and the mindset that we bring. It’s within the rules of the game.”

Mazzulla continued: “One of the biggest pet peeves is just thinking that a guy is going to get a free shot. That’s just not the way it works. If we’re going to hold our team to a standard, we’ll hold the staff to the same thing. There’s been times where we’ve missed it and I’ve held the staff accountable to it.”

As the Celtics continue toward a championship run, Mazzulla showed that he’s willing to set the standard on the floor.