Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Talks Viral Video of Reaction to Jayson Tatum's Wrist Injury

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla expanded on his reaction to the viral moment when Jayson Tatum took a hard fall on a foul in the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mazzulla said his reaction was built on the relationship he has established with Celtics players:

"At the end of the day, I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with the guys. I’m grateful for the relationship that I have with him, and you love guys in different ways. But everything is built on love. Everything is built on the relationship that we have, their self-expression.

"They allow me to be who I am. And they trust—we have a trust for each other, but it all starts with love. And so in that moment, it looks different in different moments. But I appreciate who he is as a competitor and our team in that moment, but it all starts with that."

When Tatum was clutching at his right wrist after a foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Mazzulla was seen telling a trainer not to go check him out before yelling "get up!" in the direction of his superstar player.

Mazzulla is known for being wired differently than a typical coach, particularly when it comes to Tatum. He famously tried to block a Royce O'Neale shot after calling a timeout in a game against the Phoenix Suns last season.

Mazzulla said after Game 1 against the Miami Heat in the first round last year he "was kind of excited about the whole situation" after a brief scuffle when Tatum was knocked to the ground by Caleb Martin.

It's good that Mazzulla has these takes when Tatum isn't seriously injured. The reaction would almost certainly be different if the Celtics were going to be without their best player for any length of time, especially in the playoffs.

The Celtics shook off a slow start to defeat the Magic 103-86 in Game 1. Tatum was held to 17 points on 8-of-22 shooting in 40 minutes, but he did have a game-high 14 rebounds.

Boston will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Magic in Game 2 at TD Garden on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.