Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wants NBA to ‘bring back fighting’

Joe Mazzulla must have enjoyed playing NFL Blitz and NHL Hitz growing up.

The coach of the reigning champion Celtics revealed that he wished the NBA allowed more fighting like others sports do.

“The biggest thing that we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can’t fight anymore. I wish we’d bring back like fighting,” Mazzulla told NBC Sports Boston. “You want to talk about robbing the league of entertainment, shat’s more entertaining than a little scuffle? How come in baseball they’re allowed to clear the benches? How come in hockey they’re allowed to fight? I don’t understand.

“I just don’t get why some sports are allowed to clear the benches. They have bats and weapons (in baseball). We don’t. We have a ball. The other sport (hockey) has like one of the hardest playing surfaces in a puck and a stick, yet we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit?”

The NBA is notoriously tough on those willing to participate or even attempt to become involved with altercations, with players even receiving suspensions for leaving the bench.

One of the more famous suspensions came in the 2007 playoffs when then-Suns star Amare Stoudemire received a one-game suspension for leaving the bench against the Spurs and San Antonio won the next game en route to closing out semifinals series in six games.

As Mazzulla referenced, baseball teams can clear benches during games and hockey essentially embraces fighting since players can trade barbs.

This isn’t the first time Mazzulla has made it known that he’s a fan of fighting, with the former West Virginia star showing his team UFC clips before Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals, including the Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill fight from UFC 300 from last April.

“You see (Pereira) gets hit in the nuts, looks at the referee, knocks the guy out five seconds later,” Mazzulla said. “So it’s the approach to what happens to you and how you handle it, but the closer you are to beating someone, the closer you are to getting your ass kicked.”

Mazzulla also said he would like the NBA to follow hockey’s lead and create power plays.

“Basketball is one of the only sports that doesn’t have a power play,” he said. “I think soccer just put in a blue card where a guy has to go off and it’s 10-on-9 and so we should have a power play. Let’s say you get a technical or let’s say you get a take foul, 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 the take foul. There should be like a power play where a take foul, a technical, you have to play five-on-four for five seconds or three passes.

“I think we should institute power plays where instead of taking the ball out on the side, you commit a foul, the guy goes to the other side of half court and he can’t leave the half court circle until like three seconds.”

As Mazzulla makes his plea for significant changes, he may just have to settle for coaching the reigning champions who look the part of the best team in the league again.

The Celtics are 4-0 with wins over the Knicks and Bucks heading into Wednesday’s road game against the Pacers.