Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t come out unscathed after he went ballistic at the NBA officials.
The NBA on Saturday fined Mazzulla $35,000 for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official.” The incident happened after Boston’s surprising loss to the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Thursday.
Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown weren’t pleased with how referee Justin Van Duyne officiated the matchup. The pair and Jayson Tatum received technical fouls in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that they felt were unfair.
Brown — who was fined Dec. 6 for an “inappropriate gesture” — fearlessly criticized the reason for his technical foul. On the other hand, Mazzulla tried to play it cool and told reporters he simply wanted to wish Duyne a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. However, the NBA and fans could read lips enough to know that wasn’t true.
Mazzulla’s effort to avoid a fine was unsuccessful, but the Celtics will get a chance at revenge when they play the Bulls again Saturday at United Center.
