A Frustrated Joe Mazzulla Answers "Illegal Screen" For Every Post-Game Question After Celtics-Pacers Showdown

Every now and then, reporters covering the NBA bear witness to a player or coach venting their frustrations at a media session. One way this happens is when that player or coach says the same thing over and over again. Think Allen Iverson’s infamous “practice rant” or the hilarity of Rasheed Wallace’s “Both teams played hard” interview.

For Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, it’s “illegal screen.”

During the media availability following the Celtics’ 98-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers Monday night, this was all that Mazzulla was willing to say. Despite reporters trying to switch up their questions in order to get more insights from Mazzulla, he refused to budge.

“Illegal screen. Illegal screen.”

So, what was Mazzulla so hot about? The two words he kept repeating were the remnants of the play that ultimately swung the game in the Pacers’ favor.

With 28.6 left in regulation and the score tied at 96, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard got the ball and drew the defense of Derrick White. As Nembhard just past the halfcourt line, his scoring machine of a teammate Pascal Siakam hovered near the free throw line while Jordan Walsh tried to stay close.

As the clock went under 16 seconds, Siakam made his move: He set a screen for Nembhard, who then swung him the ball as White was forced into a switch. Siakam, who’d been targeting the smaller White all along, attacked the paint and banked in a floater to give the Pacers a 98-96 lead.

However, anyone who was watching Mazzulla closely during that play would notice that the Celtics head coach immediately had words for the referee as Siakam set the pick. In Mazzulla’s eyes, the veteran Siakam may have been too physical (or, perhaps, too mobile) with that particular screen.

Whatever the case may be, it was a bitter pill to swallow for the Celtics, who trailed by five at the end of three quarters. In the play prior to the Nembhard-Siakam two-man game, White had tied the game at 96 with his own bank shot.

The Celtics dropped to 24-15 as a result of this loss, allowing the New York Knicks to grab the no. 2 spot once again in the Eastern Conference standings. It was certainly a close call, but when the Celtics meet the Pacers again next Wednesday, expect Mazzulla to keep an eye out for - what else? - illegal screens.