While the Celtics made a move in Charlotte last night, with Grant Williams stamping on Jayson Tatum, their coach Joe Mazzulla seems more like the type to enjoy this kind of incident when he puts himself in the fans' shoes. Indeed, the boss of the reigning champions quite simply defends the idea that fighting must be brought up to date in the NBA.
“ Entertainment-wise, the biggest thing we're taking away from people is not being able to fight anymore, so I wish we could do that again » he details Thus. “ What's more entertaining than a little fight? Why are they allowed to play baseball? Why are they allowed to play ice hockey? I don't understand. I just don't understand why certain sports are allowed to do it, when they have bats, a puck, a stick… We just have a ball. Still, can't we fight a little?“
Establish numerical superiority?
A big fan of combat sports, and particularly MMA, it is hardly surprising to hear Joe Mazzulla campaigning for the return of fighting in the NBA. But the coach of Bostonwhose wish has little chance of coming true after all of David Stern's efforts, would also like to see something else happen: the notion of numerical superiority.
“ Basketball is one of the only sports where there is no numerical superiority » he declares. “ I think football has introduced a blue card where a player has to go out and it gives a 10-on-9 situation on the pitch, so we should have the same. For example, when you receive a technical foul or an intentional foul, you get a free throw but it's not really a reward because, if you miss it, you don't really benefit from it. So there should be a notion of numerical superiority where the team must play 5-on-4 for five seconds or for three passes. Instead of putting the ball back into play on the side, the player goes to the other side of the field and cannot return for three seconds for example. »
