Joe Mazzulla orders Celtics players to intentionally foul Bulls center Andre Drummond while winning in-season tournament game by 32 points… as he tells Chicago coach Billy Donovan they need to keep 23-point lead to advance
- Boston was desperate to maintain their 23-point lead and reach the next round
- But to do so, they repeatedly controversially fouled Drummond in the fourth quarter
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The Boston Celtics used a controversial tactic to advance to the knockout round of the NBA regular season tournament on Tuesday night.
While leading the Chicago Bulls by 32 points at TD Garden, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla instructed his players to continually draw fouls on opposition center Andre Drummond in an attempt to stifle the closing stages of the game.
By doing this, Mazzulla felt his team would increase their chances of keeping their points differential high enough to advance to the quarterfinals of the season tournament.
Head-to-head matchups were used as tiebreakers to advance to the next round when two teams in the same group finished with the same record. But for three teams, both the points difference and the total number of points played a role.
Boston therefore opted to send Drummond to the line for six free throw attempts in the game, of which the Chicago star made only one.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla used a controversial tactic to advance to the knockout round of the NBA regular season tournament
While leading the Chicago Bulls by 32 points, Mazzulla instructed his players to continually foul opposition center Andre Drummond in an attempt to stifle the game.
You could see him explaining his team’s points situation to Bulls coach Billy Donovan
After noticing what was going on, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan looked visibly unhappy at the side of the field before speaking to opposite number Mazzulla.
The latter then seemed to explain his team’s situation in the tournament, with Boston needing to win by at least 23 points to have a chance of reaching the quarterfinals.
Donovan then seemed to acknowledge that he understood before walking away and watching the rest of the game.
The trick worked for Mazzulla, however, as his team won a three-team tiebreaker with the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic and will be the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, with the No. 2 seed the Indiana Pacers next.
Yet his rough and tumble tactics did not sit well with Donovan and the Bull insider KC Johnson claims he apologized to them in the hallway after the game.
Donovan told reporters after the match: ‘Andre is an experienced guy and I said to Mazzulla, “What are we doing here?”
“I understand that I have to keep you guys inside because I want to get inside [to the next round]. The league has made a big deal out of it.
‘But [the Celtics] and in all honesty they also have to deal with the rules. When they try to get into Vegas [where the semifinals and final will be played]there are things they have to do.
Boston opted to send Drummond to the line for six free throw attempts in the game, of which the Chicago star made only one
‘For me it was just the pollution. And Joe was great when I talked to him. He understood.
The Celtics made a season-high 21 three-pointers, getting four each from Al Horford and Jrue Holiday. All five Boston starters scored in double figures.
“To be honest, it was a little weird, but the end goal was to win tonight and that’s what we did,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said, noting that that focus on the point differential was more than a little unusual.
‘It’s difficult because that’s just not how the game should be played. First of all, you have to respect your opponents.’