87It’s not typically that you simply see the Boston Celtics log the identical quantity of made threes as technical fouls in 1 / 4, however that was the case within the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
On an evening when Boston made simply 25% of its long-distance makes an attempt, frustrations have been already excessive. The Celtics have been taking part in the identical model of basketball as they at all times do: sturdy effort on the defensive finish, creativity and good ball motion on the offensive finish, and a excessive quantity of three-point makes an attempt.
It simply wasn’t working.
“Yeah, I feel we performed a high-level defensive sport within the first half, and I believed we fought for excellent photographs,” stated head coach Joe Mazzulla. “And once we, you already know, I believed it was one of many occasions the place lack of shot-making simply form of took a toll on our protection over time, they usually made some powerful ones, particularly late within the clock. And, you already know, you’re employed one of the best you may to defend at a excessive stage, whatever the end result on the different finish… I feel, you already know, once you shoot 25% however you’re preventing for excellent seems to be, and you’ve got a staff that shoots 37% simply form of wears on you a bit bit.”
But, they nonetheless discovered themselves inside three factors of Chicago with 5:12 to play in regulation.
Then this occurred.
Each Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown concurrently tied up Ayo Dosunmu for a soar ball, after the Bulls guard secured a rebound. The official, Justin Van Duyne, determined that Pritchard can be the Celtic doing the soar, after which issues bought testy.
Van Duyne whistled Mazzulla for a technical foul after which Brown suffered the identical destiny shortly after.
Technical on Joe Mazzulla. Sam Cassell and Tony Dobbins stored him from doubtlessly getting a second one. Mazzulla later had extra to say within the course of Justin Van Duyne.
Jaylen Brown bought a technical as I used to be typing this. pic.twitter.com/7QQnb1SwGL
— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) December 20, 2024
Throughout his postgame availability, Mazzulla insisted that he was teched up for being on the courtroom since that’s in opposition to NBA guidelines.
Although his coach wouldn’t budge, Brown had loads to say about what occurred, together with his opinion that Mazzulla didn’t earn the technical.
“Right here’s the factor. Like, no, you get fined (as a participant),” Brown defined. “I bought fined a few weeks in the past for, like, inadvertent gestures, you already know, it’s decided not part of the sport which was positive. I took the positive, however like, what a part of the sport is, like a ref, you already know, calling an inadvertent technical foul? After which, like, I stated to him, ‘You name the tech for no purpose.’ He stated, ‘In case you say it to me once more, I’m gonna name one other tech.’ You name the tech for no purpose, then you definitely name the tech like, man, get out of right here. You may’t threaten guys with a technical foul. That’s not a part of the sport both. You recognize, you wish to discover individuals for gestures and all these things. Discover that like there’s some bulls—-, like, we have been down three at the moment on the soar ball. Then that led to us being down eight. You recognize that impacts the sport. You recognize that would have been prevented. Joe didn’t say something to deserve a tech.”
From that time within the sport on, the Celtics’ frustrations continued to boil over. They have been outscored 18-12, Jayson Tatum picked up a technical of his personal, after which tempers flared after the ultimate buzzer.
Mazzulla needed to be held again by Boston’s bench as he had some phrases for Van Duyne. It’d’ve been essentially the most upset we’ve seen. In keeping with him, he was simply ensuring he wished the officers a Merry Christmas.
“I wasn’t certain I used to be going to see them earlier than the vacation, and I simply can’t let a second go by to the place you would like somebody you already know, simply one of the best to them and theirs and their households.”
Don’t get it twisted, The officers are to not blame for the Celtics shedding this sport. The Celtics are. They did not make photographs that they’d usually make and let these frustrations boil over into different facets of their sport.