Joe Mazzulla talks “unacceptable effort” from Celtics in loss to short-handed Lakers

Joe Mazzulla talks “unacceptable effort” from Celtics in loss to short-handed Lakers

Joe do you think that not having ad and LeBron dressed tonight in play negatively impacted your team and your compete level because the guys didn’t look ready to play at the beginning uh so I think we have to look at two there’s two sides to the coin I think it

Positively impacted them and negatively impacted us so I think it was a combination of both for sure how you think um we didn’t play as hard as they did they played inspired there was 70 minutes and 35 shots available for multiple guys and the the guys on the

Lakers team took advantage of it and we just didn’t play as hard as they did so I think it’s both for sure Bobby yeah we was going to ask to share between effort and execution in this one how much did both of those weigh into um especially

That first quarter yeah it was weird because we only down three after the first quarter but it felt like we should have been down a lot more in terms of the turnovers nine there what would you credit many of those to I think he ended

Up with 15 in this one uh you did you watch those nine the start the quarter um yeah those were those were pretty fun weren’t they yeah what do you think led to those I don’t know I mean just happens I think uh that’s how the game goes

Sometimes they were pretty some pretty interesting turnovers though wer there mhel over here Joe you when you came in you said welcome to the NBA what it just kind of you’re just kind of you’re oh it’s great it’s good I just think I just think you look at

The it just happens stretches of bad basketball happen and you work your butt off uh every day to minimize those but stretches of bad basketball happen and we can’t sit here and act like that it we’re too uh entitled for it to happen to us it happens and it’s a matter of

How we respond to it and can we work through it and they just constant daily choices daily habits that you have to commit to every single day and to think that we’re not going to go through difficult times during an 82 game NBA season is not the right way to look at

It so um am I pissed about losing yes but am I ecstatic about the opportunity for us to grow as a team I’m more I’m even happier about that you know I was just going to ask is it disappointing to fall at home to a team that was out without their two

Superstars disappointing I mean I’m pissed but like what do you what are you going to do about it am I going to if we do like I said the other night if we hang on to this and then we won’t be ready for practice on Saturday we won’t

Be ready for Memphis and so yeah I’m pissed but like it’s about what you do so when you’re pissed about it I’m not going to sit there and continue to like think it you’re just going to figure out how to continue to work you know but uh

I said it a couple games ago I anticipated at some point during the season a tough stretch of basketball for our team if anybody here didn’t think that was going to happen then what are we doing you know so it’s a matter of how we work through it

And and uh we’ll be I think we’ll judge us how we you know respond to it you know G John Joe uh it’s one thing to you said rust dresser basketball it’s one thing to miss shots and not execute it’s one another thing not to play hard um

And to get booed and guys get I don’t mind getting booed it’s good for you guys get not get back on defense transition baskets after you guys make a basket like that has to be a concern that the the lack of effort as opposed to like missing shots are just not

Executing uh I’m not concerned by it I’m not happy about it but I’m not concerned by it I think it’s unacceptable um doesn’t mean that like I’m concerned um we’ll work through it you know I think part of bad stretch of basketball is uh physical just as much as mental

And I think those two things go hand in hand you know so I think it’s unacceptable for those things to happen um but if you take a look at the whole scope of our season they happen very little and so to look at everything with

Just this lens of like two games or a stretch or a week or whatever the case may be doesn’t uh do the Justice of the process of what we do over a long period of time so I it’s unacceptable make sure you know that but at the same same time

It’s going to happen and it’s a matter of holding guys accountable and working through it but it’s something you probably I mean you had a meeting with them before the game you probably told them hey guys let’s not let down since they’re missing LeBron and AD and it

Still happened how frustrating is that you know how many things I tell them that still happen that’s like coaching all the time so the goal is you have kids no no kids oh man that’s why you’re asking that question if you kids you wouldn’t even ask that question yeah but these are

Grown men yeah but they’re adult I mean you you married yes oh come on you listen to everything your wife tells you uh I try to get told when I don’t I get told when I don’t I don’t yeah Joe I mean from the outside I think people will character characterize this

As embarrassment embarrassing um you’re talking about it’s good you got to sit in that it’s unacceptable do you do you also categorize it to them as like you should be embarrassed by this do you have them sit with that or like how do you approach I think telling another

Human they should be embarrassed is very disrespectful that’s how I look at life I think it’s to say you should be embarrassed that’s disrespectful so how do you how do you categorize it then we’re playing poor stretches of basketball and we’re not playing well and we suck tonight there’s a difference

Between saying we sucked at you know something between like you should be embarrassed I think that’s that’s that’s very harsh and so uh there’s accountability we’re not playing well you know like and to me I’m not you can’t run from that like that’s just the

Way that it is it’s going to happen like there’s five teams in the NBA that have went what 72 and 10 73 and like that doesn’t happen very often so you’re going to have uh tough stretches so you can’t run from that we’re not playing good basketball right now but to say

That to call another human being that like they should be embarrassed I just don’t think that’s the right way to go about it they shouldn’t we should all know that we we we did not play well tonight you know what I mean like that’s a fact okay so it’s choice of words for

You uh I mean sure yeah okay so is the accountability the that when you took Jaylen and and Chris thps and I think Drew Out 3 minutes into the third quarter is that was that part of the accountability I believe so yes and then I mean I’ve done that to our whole team

At different points throughout the season so yeah I think that’s part of it coach has like a few moments throughout the year where they can pull out like a you know throw a big rock in the water I guess that’s probably one of them but it seems like this is one of

Those nights being hyped after a loss like that so when you say we suck you’re like we’re excited this opportunity what’s the next step after that uh practice on Saturday and like have a really good practice get after it and then be ready to play Memphis those are

Literally like the next two steps you know what I mean like coach uh La shot 26 free throws you guys had seven tonight are you okay with that outcome and during the game are you aware of that disparity I’m aware of that disparity during the game were you

Hoping to cut into that yeah uh we yeah like I guess I learned that you know players don’t always listen but you saying hey get to the line of all they do listen that was it was a joke they listen yeah so then how do you expl

Husbands don’t listen all the time how do you explain the difference between how La gets the line and Boston gets Line Tonight uh they put pressure on the rim we tried to put pressure on the rim I think you know we’re the uh either first or second free throw rate

Defensive team in the league and so I think it’s just uh a combination uh of us continuing to be physical driving to the rim and then showing our hands on on on defense and not slapping down at times you know so what about you guys getting to the line cuz that’s number

Drive with more physicality you can’t control if a guy follows you or not like can you not all the time well there are players in the league who well there are yeah make a point to do so presented by your New England Ford dealers built for America built Ford proud

Despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis sitting on the bench, the Celtics lost to the Lakers at home. We have Joe Mazzulla’s full press conference after the loss.

Presented by New England Ford Dealers

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