Mazzulla urges NBA opponents to continue helping Celtics in 1 key category

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics took down the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, handing them their first loss of the season after a 15-0 start. It also marked Boston’s first NBA Cup win of the year. A third-quarter run almost helped the Cavs climb all the way back, but the Celtics held on.

Jayson Tatum had a monster night, and while Jaylen Brown struggled with turnovers and efficiency at times, he still came up big at the end of the night. Both stars played a part in the victory despite Cleveland’s attempt to be physical and throw them off their games throughout the contest.

And that’s what head coach Joe Mazzulla wants to see.

Mazzulla wants the NBA to bring on the physicality

After the game, when asked about how well Tatum and Brown handled the Cavs’ physicality, Mazzulla said that he hopes opposing teams continue to be physical with Boston, as it gives them invaluable experience.

“Yeah, it was great,” Mazzulla said. “I thought both of them handled the pressure and the physicality well. We lulled the offense. We played a little bit slower, but it was more important to get to the proper spacing. It was more important to get our drive-and-kick reads. And they [had]  a great balance of handling the pressure, driving to attack, driving to get to the free throw line, [and] driving the find guys. 

“So, I hope teams continue to be physical because it just gets us reps, and I thought they handled it really well.”

Boston’s 120-117 victory, which was 120-115 before a Ty Jerome floater at the horn, was a statement win for the C’s. Obviously, games in November only mean so much in the grand scheme of things, but this one was a doozy.

The Cavs were undefeated, the Celtics lost their first game of the NBA Cup, and these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference by a long shot.

Cleveland entered the night hoping to prove themselves, but the Celtics shut them down. At every turn, Boston was there, ready to fight back—no matter what the Cavs threw their way.

Tatum was absolutely incredible all night, dropping 33 points and dishing out seven dimes. Brown only managed 18 points of his own, but he doled out eight assists.

The Cavs still sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 15-1 record, but that one loss came at the hands of the team directly below them. And that’s significant.