In Friday night’s victory over the 76ers, Jayson Tatum experienced a rare event in his Celtics career – an ejection, marking only the second time he has faced such a consequence. The contentious incident unfolded in the waning moments of the third quarter, with the Celtics securing the win. However, the aftermath of the game saw the star player expressing discontent over the decision to eject him, specifically in response to his second technical foul.
The pivotal moment leading to Tatum’s ejection transpired after a loose ball foul was called against him. Subsequently, Tatum persisted in voicing his grievances, disregarding multiple requests to return to the bench. Shedding light on the situation, official Bill Kennedy, in a post-game pool report, stated, “Following a loose ball foul that was called on Jayson, Jayson continued to complain and was asked multiple times to head to his bench.” Kennedy further explained that Tatum’s persistent complaints about the foul escalated to overt gestures directed at the officials, resulting in the assessment of a second technical foul and, ultimately, his ejection from the game.
Notably, Joe Mazzulla played no direct role in the chaotic events leading to Tatum’s ejection during the closing seconds of the quarter. Instead, assistants Charles Lee and Sam Cassell emerged as the primary witnesses to the exchange between Tatum and the officials.
The incident adds a layer of intrigue to Tatum’s otherwise impressive career with the Celtics, marking an unusual departure from his typically composed and focused demeanor on the court. As the team navigates the aftermath of this ejection, it remains to be seen how Tatum’s response and the broader implications of this incident may shape the narrative surrounding the Celtics’ season.
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“I don’t really know what led to his ejection,” Mazzulla said. “There was like one second on the clock, and I was trying to figure out what we were going to do as far as where the ball was, and then what our lineup was to start the fourth quarter. So I missed a small portion of that.”
Despite not witnessing the encounter unclose, Mazzulla was defensive of Tatum after the game and even praised his star forward’s fire during the sequence.
“I actually like some of that,” Mazzulla admitted. “I think some of that is important. Obviously, you don’t want it to get in the way of where it gets in the way of winning, but I think that type of passion and caring about it, I err on the side of I’d rather see that and then nothing at all. Sometimes pick and choose your spots, but I’m not going to say anything to him.”
The Celtics went on to rally without Tatum in the fourth quarter for a 125-119 victory that kept the team undefeated at TD Garden on the season.
“I thought everybody stepped up,” Mazzulla said. “And that’s just kind of the team that we have, and credit to them. I thought they did a great job executing on both ends of the floor. We went double big there, and we were able to give it a different look, and I thought the guys just did what they had to do to win.”
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