BOSTON — During a recent matchup against the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics faced controversy due to back-to-back technical fouls assessed to head coach Joe Mazzulla and forward Jaylen Brown in the game’s closing moments. The Celtics ultimately fell to the Bulls 117-108 on Thursday night.
The game saw the Celtics maintaining an 86-82 lead before the Bulls launched a significant 17-4 scoring spree at the start of the fourth quarter, flipping the score to 99-90 in Chicago’s favor.
With 5:12 left in the game, tensions escalated when both Mazzulla and Brown received technical fouls after expressing their discontent over a no-foul call as Brown was diving for a loose ball. Instead of awarding a foul, the officials opted for a jump ball. Following the incident, Brown approached referee Justin Van Duyne to seek clarity on the rationale behind Mazzulla’s technical, which Brown believed to be unjustified. Shortly thereafter, he was also hit with a technical foul.
“I told Van Duyne, ‘You called a tech for no reason.’ His response was, ‘If you say that again, I’ll give you another tech,’” Brown explained. “You can’t be threatening players with technicals; that’s not how it’s supposed to work. If the issue is players’ gestures, then impose fines. That’s just ridiculous.”
Coach Mazzulla clarified that Van Duyne indicated his technical was warranted due to him stepping onto the court after the jump ball was called. This information was further validated by crew chief Tony Brothers, who noted that Mazzulla’s technical arose from leaving the designated coach’s box.
“The referee has to do his job, and that’s all there is to it,” Mazzulla stated.
According to Brothers, Brown’s technical stemmed from “questioning our integrity multiple times during that same sequence.” Following these calls, Zach LaVine successfully converted both free throws and extended the Bulls’ lead with a long three-pointer, pushing the score to 104-96. Soon after, Jayson Tatum also received a technical foul, further aiding the Bulls in expanding their lead to ten points.
Frustration lingered for Mazzulla even after the final buzzer, as he attempted to engage with Van Duyne while expressing his displeasure. Two assistant coaches had to intervene to prevent further escalation.
When asked about his remarks to Van Duyne after the game, Mazzulla downplayed the situation, stating, “I just hadn’t seen them in a while; I was wishing them a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.”
