The Boston Celtics came up short during the club’s first tilt of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, falling on the road 106-103 to their conference rival. This marked the second consecutive loss for the Celtics and the second consecutive outing where late-game execution was inconsistent at best.
Turnovers were once again a big concern for the Celtics, and the Sixers scored 20 points off of takeaways. Likewise, Philadelphia was the dominant team in the paint and on the glass. It didn’t help Boston’s cause that as a team, the visiting team shot 14-for-47 on 3-pointers. High-volume shooting has been a hallmark for the Celtics since head coach Joe Mazzulla took over, and has often been a point of emphasis in postgame press conferences in wins and losses. After Wednesday’s loss in Philadelphia, however, Mazzulla took special umbrage when questioned about this dynamic.
In an exchange with the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, Mazzulla bristled at a question focused on his club’s diet of 3-point shots, citing Washburn’s work from several years prior.
Celtics great Ray Allen on defending Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals https://t.co/gJSF0OXGx9 pic.twitter.com/DZ1QwdOoDz
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 9, 2023
“I just finished reading a great article you wrote in 2016 that the Celtics shot too many 3s,” Mazzulla told Washburn. “They shot 42, and that was seven years ago. And we only shot five more tonight.”
“They lost 121 to 114 and you blamed the offense, but not the defense,” Mazzulla continued, citing Washburn’s 2016 postgame recap. “What’s your fascination with too much 3s?”
Mazzulla has flashed his particularly dry sense of humor in talking with the media over the past months, but this was more direct than usual. Afterward, Washburn tweeted his reaction to the moment, calling it “one of the more bizarre Mazzulla post-game sessions” he’s seen.
You can watch the entire exchange below, courtesy of Celtics All Access on the CLNS Media Network.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
