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Zolak & Bertrand

Are the Celtics too concerned about the refs? Joe Mazzulla weighs in

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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla joined Zolak & Bertrand on the heels of the Celtics controversial loss at the hands of the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. With the officiating once again in the crosshairs, Mazzulla addressed if he believes he or his team focus a little too much on the refs during the game:

 

Are the Celtics spending too much time being concerned with the referees?

 

“I don’t know if we’re spending too much time. And I do think there is a time and a place, to where you have to address it, whether it’s in the game. I think as we continue to just learn and grow as a team, the most important thing is picking, choosing your spots. Right? I do think having a relationship with them is important. I think standing up for your case is important. It’s just you have to recognize time and score, and you don’t necessarily want to do it in a situation to where it’s going to put your team at a disadvantage. But I think it’s more about picking and choosing your spots.

“I think that’s kind of how the league is to where the relationship with the referees is an ongoing give and take. Uh, it’s been like that for years. And so I think it’s necessary. Like I said, I think you have to do both. It’s necessary to stand up for your team, stand up for the cause, give yourself a chance to explain yourself. I just think at the end of the day, the biggest goal in mind is trying to win a championship and just trying to make sure more decisions than not put us in an advantageous situation and not a disadvantage.” 

 

LISTEN: Joe Mazzulla joins Zolak & Bertrand to react to Pacers loss

 

Tom Morgan is the executive producer of the award-winning Zolak & Bertrand show. He got his start in radio as the midday intern in 2010 before joining the show full-time in 2014. A graduate of Northeastern University, Tom has been a lifelong sports fan with a passion for Boston sports that continues to drive him to this day. A native of Cohasset, MA, he enjoys spending time with family, his three brothers and his nephews and nieces. He is a coffee enthusiast who is fluent in the language of Seinfeld quotes. Tom writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

Another massive performance from Jayson Tatum lifts Celtics past Pacers

Jayson Tatum has been playing some of the best basketball of his career over the past few weeks, and the second night of a road back-to-back didn’t do anything to cool him off. Tatum led the way with a monstrous performance as the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 118-101 on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

These teams came into the game ranked first (Indiana) and fifth (Boston) in the NBA. The very beginning of the game didn’t reflect that, with 11 points scored in the first four minutes. It wasn’t until midway through the first quarter the Celtics got the first big run of the game – an 8-0 stretch that put the C’s up 14-5.

Most of the first quarter after that was played around a 10-point margin. Jaylen Brown was the hot hand early, scoring a game-high eight first quarter points. Tatum didn’t record his first point until 1:17 to go in the first, but scored six quick points late.

While those two were hitting shots, the Pacers opened up ice cold. Indiana was 7-of-23 from the floor, 1-of-10 from three, and 2-of-5 from the line through the first 12 minutes, leaving the Celtics up 29-17 after the first frame.

  • Celtics on NBC Sports Boston on Twitter: "Jaylen Brown getting in his bag 💰 C's up by double digits early pic.twitter.com/8owK2KSgvN / Twitter"

    Jaylen Brown getting in his bag 💰 C's up by double digits early pic.twitter.com/8owK2KSgvN

    An early 8-0 Pacers run cut that Celtics lead back to single digits, as Indiana found some rhythm. They hit 9-of-18 shots at one point to cut the deficit to as few as eight points, although from there the Celtics responded with an 8-0 run.

    Tatum was a big reason the Pacers struggled to shrink the lead. He finished the second quarter with 14 points, and had a game-high 20 in the first half.

    Still the Pacers had one last punch left before going to the locker room. They scored seven unanswered points in the final 1:17 of the first half to make it 58-49 at the break.

  • Halftime didn’t cool off the Pacers’ momentum. They went on an 11-4 run early in the third quarter and got within two points of the Celtics before the Celtics responded with an 11-4 run of their own.

    Midway through the quarter the Pacers had another run, 10-4, that got them back within three points. That came while the Celtics dug deep into their bench, as Tatum and Derrick White were sitting with four fouls each.

    Another issue for the Celtics was free throws – after not getting a free throw in the first half they went 6-14 in the third quarter, missing eight of their first 12. That opened the door for the Pacers further. While they never tied the game they kept the margin under five for most of the third after that second run, and had the score at 84-81 with a quarter to play.

  • Boston Celtics on Twitter: "Sam hit that ⏸ button pic.twitter.com/f9wVDAk14t / Twitter"

    Sam hit that ⏸ button pic.twitter.com/f9wVDAk14t

    During the quarter break the Celtics seemed to find something, and opened the third quarter on a 7-2 run. That later turned into a 14-2 run, with Tatum scoring 10 of the Celtics’ first 17 points in the quarter.

    From there the Celtics’ defense closed the game out. They had four blocks in the fourth quarter, and rendered the final few minutes of the game nothing but a formality.

     

  • Boston Celtics on Twitter: "Now this is crazy 🫣 pic.twitter.com/amTIYzO2mV / Twitter"

    Now this is crazy 🫣 pic.twitter.com/amTIYzO2mV

    After not recording a point over the first 11 minutes of the game, Tatum finished with a game-high 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting hitting eight of his 13 three point attempts. Tatum also had 14 rebounds and six assists, while playing most of the second half with four fouls.

    Brown turned in a big performance as well. He finished with 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting. Al Horford was the only other Celtics to finish in double digits, with 10 points. Horford also had eight assists.

    The Celtics played most of this game without Kristaps Porzingis. He was poked in the eye by Aaron Nesmith in the first quarter and had to leave the game. After briefly trying to return he came out of the game again and went back to the Celtics’ locker room for the rest of the night. He ended up playing only six minutes.

  • Celtics on NBC Sports Boston on Twitter: "Kristaps Porzingis left the the game early in the 1st (right eye irritation) and is questionable to return pic.twitter.com/2mrX52qkmb / Twitter"

    Kristaps Porzingis left the the game early in the 1st (right eye irritation) and is questionable to return pic.twitter.com/2mrX52qkmb

    With the win, the Celtics improve to 28-7. They’re now three games up on the Milwaukee Bucs for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

    The Celtics will stay in Indianapolis after this one, with another game against the Pacers coming up on Monday. Coverage of that game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on the Bet MGM Rock 92.9 Celtics Radio Network.

  • Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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