Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla keeps receipts, and he proved it on Tuesday night after his C's beat the Brooklyn Nets, 118-110.
Following Boston's third win over Brooklyn this season, Joe Mazzulla claimed that he told his guys to utilize post-ups more, via Celtics in-house writer Taylor Snow.
“We talked over the last week or so and we definitely think we need to post more,” Mazzulla said with a serious look. “I don't think we're posting enough.”
This wasn't a sincere comment though, as Mazzulla was actually taking a shot at former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. The big man turned ESPN analyst attacked the C's earlier in the day for not posting up enough and shooting too many 3-pointers:
Perk: The Celtics don't post up enough. They have nothing to rely on if the 3s don't go in.
Celtics in the post this season:
‣ Post up frequency – 7.3% – 2nd in the league
‣ Post up efficiency – 1.17ppp – 1st in the league pic.twitter.com/Ado7a1PSre— Jake Issenberg (@jakeissenberg) February 13, 2024
Turns out, some quick research revealed that the Celtics do like to post up. Not only that, they do so more than nearly every other team in the NBA. Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis even averages the fourth-most post up points per game, per NBA Advanced Stats.
But, Mazzulla already knew this. After his initial statement saying he pleaded with his players to utilize the paint more, he quickly admitted that he wasn't being serious.
“I was joking, we're second in frequency and first in efficiency,” Mazzulla said.
So, why the diss at Perkins? Well, the two have a history.
On January 19th, the Celtics fell to the Denver Nuggets 102-100, giving Boston its first home loss of the season. Perkins was not shy with his criticism, going as far as saying that if you take Mazzulla's “brain out and you put it in a bird, the bird is gonna start flying backwards.”
Mazzulla clearly remembered this disrespect, because before Boston's win over the Indiana Pacers on January 30th, he referenced having a “bird brain.”
Joe Mazzulla was asked if he can explain the Celtics’ injury updates:
“I’m a bird brain, I can’t do that.”
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 30, 2024
This ongoing feud may continue for months to come, but regardless of the war of words, the Celtics are playing at an elite level. Mazzulla has helped lead his team to a 42-12 overall record, which is good enough to give them a six-game lead over the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference standings.
Plus, Boston is making use of shots inside and beyond the arc. Against Brooklyn, the C's scored 50 points in the paint to the Nets 42 while recording the same amount of made 3-pointers (15). A healthy balance like that could work on Wednesday night as well since the Celtics face the Nets again ahead of the All-Star break.
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