The NBA has slapped Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla with a hefty $35,000 fine for his fiery conduct during Thursday’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The league cited Mazzulla for “aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official,” following a tense fourth quarter filled with technical fouls and controversy.
Mazzulla, visibly frustrated, was first penalized for stepping outside the coach’s box and onto the court, earning a technical foul. His actions capped off a contentious stretch where Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum also received technicals for their behavior.
After the game, Mazzulla approached referee Justin Van Duyne to voice his displeasure, a move that led to the fine. When asked about the incident, Mazzulla downplayed the exchange with a sarcastic quip:
“I just hadn’t seen them in a while, so just a merry Christmas, happy holidays. Wasn’t sure I was going to see them before the holiday,” Mazzulla joked during his postgame presser.
Brown stood his ground
While the comment may have softened the blow, it wasn’t enough to spare Mazzulla from the league’s discipline. His actions drew comparisons to Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who recently received a steeper fine for similar behavior.
Crew chief Tony Brothers shed light on the sequence of events, revealing that Brown’s technical foul stemmed from questioning a referee’s integrity, while Tatum’s was issued for “an overt action towards an official.”
Brown, however, stood his ground, arguing he was unfairly targeted:
“As a captain… I speak for my team. I’m allowed to talk,” Brown said. “When I tell you, ‘You called a tech for no reason,’ and he says, ‘If you say that again, I’m gonna call that a tech,’ you’re just [using] your whistle as a threat. That’s not a part of the game.”
Brown is a repeat offender
This isn’t Brown’s first run-in with league penalties; he was fined $25,000 earlier this month for making a throat-slash gesture toward Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart.
As tensions rise for the Celtics amid mounting league scrutiny, one thing is clear-Mazzulla and his squad are skating on thin ice when it comes to NBA officials.
