The Celtics don’t really lose all that often, so when they do it typically draws a dramatic response — from fans, media, etc.
Joe Mazzulla usually isn’t one of those who overreacts, but something was different Thursday.
Mazzulla blew his lid after the final seconds ticked off the clock in a 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. Boston had every right to be pissed, as three technical fouls called against the club essentially put things out of reach in the fourth quarter.
Chicago’s Ayo Dosunmu and Boston’s Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown chased down the loose ball in the early portion of the period, with official Justin Van Duyne awarding a jump ball to the former two players. Mazzulla and Brown believed it should have gone to the latter, which led to a pair of technical fouls. Jayson Tatum was also called for a technical two minutes later after committing a foul on Coby White.
The Bulls built a double-digit lead from that point and never looked back, which ultimately led to an insane reaction by the man affectionately known as “Psycho Joe.”
You can watch him go crazy here.
Van Duyne later explained his reasoning for handing out technical fouls, all of which were fairly soft.
Mazzulla, who clearly calmed down a bit in the journey from the court to his postgame press conference, decided to blow off the whole encounter — likely in an effort to avoid a suspension.
“I hadn’t seen him in a while, so, just a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday,” Mazzulla said sarcastically, per NBC Sports Boston. “… You can’t let a moment go by where you don’t wish the best to them and theirs.”
Brown was a bit more direct, using an expletive to describe the technicals.
The Celtics will have much of an opportunity at revenge against the Bulls, as they’ll meet again on Saturday. Van Duyne is probably the more interesting person to look out for down the stretch, however.
