“I didn’t want him to feel good about himself…” Joe Mazzulla gives cold response to blocking Royce O’Neale’s shot

Joe Mazzulla is rather strict when it comes to unwritten basketball rules.

“I didn’t want him to feel good about himself…” Joe Mazzulla gives cold response to blocking Royce O’Neale’s shot

The Celtics hosted the Suns on Thursday following their win against the Jazz, but this time, even Joe Mazzulla was in action. Boston is currently on a four-game win streak, as they beat the Suns 127-112. The game was only close until the first half, following which the Celtics took over, outscoring the Suns by 12 in the third.

During the fourth quarter, with around three minutes to go, Jaylen Brown stole the ball after the Suns’ defensive rebound and went on to dunk over Grayson Allen. 

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Phoenix took a timeout, though by then the ball was upcourt, and Royce O’Neale attempted a long shot after the whistle. Joe Mazzulla, the head coach, blocked O’Neale’s attempt. His response when asked about the same was nothing but cold. 

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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... Guys don't shoot shots in front of our bench to go back to their bench and feel good about themselves.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said

Mazzulla made the bench rule pretty clear and will never tolerate anything similar. Royce O’Neale finished the game with 0 points, which makes this scenario even funnier from a Celtics fan perspective. Joe Mazzulla has had a successful coaching career so far, as the 35-year-old head coach looks to lead Boston to its first championship since 2008.

Joe Mazzulla is one of the most humble coaches in the league

At just 35, Mazzulla has a better coaching record than most rookie coaches. Mazzulla has been awarded coach of the month twice within his second season. The Celtics have been much better ever since his arrival. Boston became the first team to make a 0-3 comeback against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Joe was awarded the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award for December, though he declined the title. Mazzulla believed that the team didn’t shine brighter only because of him.

Joe wanted to include all the coaching staff and desired to change the award’s title to ‘Staff of the Month’. This was a very wise action from Joe, involving all coaching staff for the team’s achievement.

Boston is the current best team in the league, with a strong record of 52-14. It will be interesting to see Mazzulla lead the Celtics to the Finals and hopefully get a ring in his second season as head coach. 

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