Joe Mazzulla Trolled Kendrick Perkins Wanting Boston To Post Up More After The Celtics Latest Win

The Boston Celtics comfortably hold the NBA’s best record at 42-12 as the league gets set for a week off for the All-Star break. Boston is hoping that this year they can finally snap their title drought, as they’ve been a perennial contender in the East for the last seven years, making five conference finals, but they’ve only reached one NBA Finals and fell short in that series against the Warriors.

Part of the problem the Celtics have faced in the past is their late-game offense can get stuck in the mud, which was the impetus for going out and getting Kristaps Porzingis this summer. The idea was to have a better third-option scoring the ball next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who can impact the game both inside the paint and outside the arc. The results have been terrific so far with Porzingis in Celtic green, but there are plenty of people taking a wait-and-see approach with this Boston squad, not being willing to fully buy-in to their greatness until they prove it in the postseason.

A regular complaint about the Celtics (particularly from former players on television) is that they are too reliant on three-pointers. Kendrick Perkins recently went on ESPN’s NBA Today and said he thinks Boston should post-up more with their perimeter players. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla saw that clip and decided to poke some fun at Big Perk after Boston’s latest win over the Nets on Tuesday, deadpanning about needing to post-up more before having to explain that was a joke and the Celtics are second in post-up frequency and first in post-up efficiency.

It’s a pretty funny moment from Mazzulla, who has made it very clear that he believes in his system and the Celtics process on offense, and it’s hard to blame him for that right now with the results they’re having. They’ve been better in close games this year and while things can still feel a bit sticky, they are more dynamic in clutch situations with Porzingis.

As for the post-ups, I will give Perk this, if you’re first in efficiency it might not be a bad idea to push the needle a little more and add a few more chances per game, even if you’re already second in frequency. That said, I don’t think Boston’s particularly interested in changing their approach that has them four games clear of the Timberwolves for the best record in the league and they certainly put the ball on the block more than most think.