Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Calls Out Refs With Repeated 2-Word Response in Video After Loss to Pacers
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla made his feelings known Monday night regarding a controversial no-call late in the team's 98-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
During his postgame press conference, Mazzulla repeated the phrase, "Illegal screen," over and over again after each question he was asked:
Mazzulla was likely referring to the Pacers' final offensive possession, which saw Pascal Siakam hit the go-ahead basket with 6.1 seconds remaining:
Before Siakam got the ball back, he appeared to hit Celtics guard Derrick White with a moving screen, which sent him falling to the floor, but no foul was called.
The Pacers' 98-96 win was a shocking result given where they sit relative to the Celtics in the standings.
Despite superstar forward Jayson Tatum not playing yet this season due to a torn Achilles and the loss of several key players during the offseason, including Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford, the Celtics entered play on Monday with a 24-13 record.
After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Pacers found themselves in a similar situation, as star guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in the Finals and veteran center Myles Turner left to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
Those losses have hit the Pacers hard, as they were 8-31 entering Monday's contests.
Even with the upset win, the Pacers are still in last place in the Eastern Conference at 9-31. Meanwhile, the Celtics are 24-15 and in third place, just one game behind the second-place New York Knicks.
Given how competitive the Eastern Conference is this season, every game is huge for a team like the Celtics.
They may be in great position now, but they are only three games ahead of the seventh-place Cleveland Cavaliers, meaning one bad stretch could take them from a clear playoff team to a team having to battle through the postseason play-in tournament.
Losing a game to a cellar dweller like the Pacers is something that could come back to haunt the Celtics later in the season, which explains Mazzulla's frustration while speaking to the media.
