Joe Mazzulla is incredibly detail-oriented when it comes to coaching. He doesn’t miss a thing, even the most minor details that might seem insignificant to others. He’s thorough in his observation, making sure to catch every little aspect of the game.
This trait was evident in the Celtics’ 127-112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, in a manner that some might find unconventional.
After Jaylen Brown posterized Grayson Allen, sending the TD Garden into a frenzy and extending Boston’s lead to 18 points with just three minutes remaining, Frank Vogel conceded defeat by calling a timeout to pull his starters.
Amidst the crowd’s roar and Brown’s celebratory frenzy, as the Celtics made their way to the sideline for the timeout, Mazzulla remained fully engaged during the break in play.
In front of the bench, Royce O’Neale attempted a harmless three-pointer, only to be contested by Mazzulla.
It’s not unusual to witness players contesting a shot after the whistle, often resorting to goaltending to prevent the ball from going in, a tactic famously employed by Kevin Garnett for years. However, it’s rare to see a coach from the sideline joining in to contest the shot. Yet, according to Mazzulla, it’s a rule within the organization.
“I saw a guy going into trying to get a shot, and he hadn’t made one, and I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,” Mazzulla said postgame. “That’s the bench rule. Guys don’t shoot shots in front of our bench to go back to their bench to feel good about themselves. If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, the staff’s gotta do the same.”
Credit to Mazzulla’s attention to detail, he was spot-on regarding O’Neale. The forward had struggled throughout the night, shooting 0-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-5 from beyond the arc.
“I think it’s important. I think it’s a small detail of the game,” Mazzulla said. “It’s a little gamesmanship. But you can’t have guys going back to the bench feeling good about themselves.”
This wasn’t the first instance of Mazzulla quite literally inserting himself into the game. It’s a familiar tactic he uses, consistently setting the tone for his team’s intensity by actively engaging in battles for loose balls on the sideline and contesting shots without concern for opponents’ opinions.
“I did it last year. We’ve done it multiple times. I mean, I don’t care. At the end of the day, it’s about the mindset and approach that we bring in. It’s within the rules of the game,” Mazzulla said.
“It’s about just setting the tone,” the bench boss added. “One of the biggest pet peeves is just thinking that a guy’s just gonna get a free shot. That’s just not the way it works. And if we’re going to hold our team to the standard, [we’ll] hold the staff have the same thing. So you know, there’s been times where we’ve missed it, and I’ve held the staff accountable to it, and you gotta do the best job you can of not doing it.”
The players have grown accustomed to this level of passion from their head coach. It’s not seen as a light-hearted gesture to contest an inconsequential shot. Instead, the team views it as a deliberate move to set the tone.
“It definitely starts from the top. We’re all in this together from the organization, [to] the coaching staff, to the players. And I think that’s what creates the environment. It’s a respect level, there are no hierarchies,” Brown said.
“We all come together and come to work, and everybody comes to do their job. And Joe sets the tone, which is — come in being prepared. First, he’s diligent, and he allows us to be where we are. So we’ve been very well coached. We’ve been disciplined, and we haven’t had too many lapses this season. I feel like we’ve been a focused team, the smarter team, and some of that stuff, that’s coaching.”
While “Mazzulla Ball” is often associated with a barrage of three-point attempts, that’s only part of the story. It’s a style of play grounded in statistical analysis that exploits the subtle nuances of the game — the finer points that include the head coach contesting harmless shots after the whistle.
A mindset his players wholeheartedly embrace.
“Just Joe being Joe,” Jayson Tatum said on the contest. “That’s who Joe is. So when he did it, I wasn’t caught off guard. I expect him or one of the coaches to do that. You know, I love Joe for Joe.”
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