The Boston Celtics used a controversial strategic approach during an in-season tournament game against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Tuesday night, intentionally fouling Bulls big man Andre Drummond while holding a 32-point lead.
This unconventional tactic was tied to their goal of getting a large enough point differential to advance in the in-season tournament. This led to a brief conversation between Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla and Chicago head coach Billy Donovan. Despite the game being well under control, the Celtics focused on getting that point differential, which got them to the knockout round with the Brooklyn Nets beating the Toronto Raptors to seal the deal.
The intentional fouls on Andre Drummond rankled some opinions about how the game should be played, but those players are still thinking about NBA games in their usual context.
The folks behind the NBA on ESPN YouTube channel put together a video showing how that all unfolded. Check it out in the clip embedded above!
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
