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Boston Celtics coach wants fighting in the NBA: 'What's more entertaining?'
Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla says basketball fans have been robbed of the entertainment value that hard fouls and scuffles bring.Mazzulla was speaking with hosts on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub radio who were discussing potential rule changes to make the NBA more exciting.During the interview with Scott Zolak and Marc Bertrand, Mazzulla asked a question that likely has never been asked before: "How come in baseball they're allowed to clear the benches?" The point of his question was to imply that there should be some form of fighting permitted in basketball, as well, resulting in penalties."I think the biggest thing that we rob people from as an entertainment standpoint is you can't fight anymore," he told the hosts. "I wish you could bring back fighting."Basketball has a history of scuffles and rough play, particularly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, an era that featured very physical players like Dennis Rodman and Isiah Thomas. The radio hosts pointed out that the NBA rarely ever features any hard fouls anymore, adding that there isn't a "fear" of physical repercussions for modern players like that there has been in the past.Mazzulla added, "I mean, you want to talk talk about robbing the league of entertainment; what's more entertaining than when there is a little scuffle?"
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon in an altercation.Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesMazzulla was also adamant about adding an advantage for teams who have a foul committed against them.The coach claimed that "basketball is one of the only sports that doesn't have a power play.""I think soccer just put in the 'blue card' where a guy has to go off, and it's a 10 on nine. Like we should have a power play."Mazzulla was referring to a trial blue card in lower-tier soccer leagues, such as the Women's Super League, where players are sent off the field for 10 minutes for specific violations.ESPN reported that the rule, if implemented, would not be adopted by top soccer leagues until at least 2026-2027.At the same time, most sports actually do not have a power play.Along with basketball, baseball, football, and soccer do not such rules in place. Hockey is the only major North American sport that has players going off for a predetermined amount of time after a foul.Lacrosse has power plays, however, and rugby has a form of 10-minute misconduct penalty that is similar to what is being proposed for soccer.The Celtics coach and the radio hosts went on to discuss possible ways to implement a power play system in the NBA“Let's say you have a technical or let’s say you get a take foul, and you get the one shot, but you're not really rewarded for that because if you miss it, you don’t get the reward for that take foul," Mazzulla explained. "So there should be a power play where on a take foul or on a technical, you have to play five on four for five seconds or three passes."The hosts then suggested the length of a penalty could be one possession.In response, Mazzulla broke down what he thinks the rule should be:"Instead of taking the ball out on the side, you commit a foul and the other guy goes to the other side of half court and he can't pass the half court circle for like, three seconds."The 36-year-old has been incredibly transparent since filling the coaching role in Boston. He has revealed his deep religious faith to reporters and has even shrugged off race-baiting questions from activist journalists en route to a 2024 NBA championship.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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