The only thing Joe Mazzulla was missing at the podium Saturday night was Bill Belichick’s signature sleeveless hoodie as he channeled his inner NFL head coach in Minnesota.
Once it became time to sit, glance over at the box score, and reassess everything that went wrong in Boston’s 119-115 defeat, Mazzulla carefully aired grievances with the officials over physicality. The Celtics weren’t preparing for Justin Jefferson and the Vikings — they came to Target Center to face Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in pursuit of a third straight win, but the demands required to accomplish said feat, in Mazzulla’s view, went beyond the bounds of NBA basketball.
Specifically, Mazzulla highlighted Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo to (creatively) get his point across.
“It was 1st-and-10, and one of their guys made a great tackle on Derrick (White) on the sideline for a loss — that was really good by them,” he said. “Our offensive line has to do a better job of winning in the trenches and not letting them get to that second layer. We’ve just got to keep working at it.”
Sarcasm is an art Mazzulla has honed over the past three years of answering reporters from the podium, but beneath his frustration with Saturday night’s officiating lay a deeper layer of his philosophy.
Mazzulla, historically, has turned to the NFL for lessons applicable to Celtics basketball. During Boston’s 2024 championship run, he revealed that Micah Parsons and the Miami Dolphins served as inspiration. Mazzulla drew from Parsons’ routes as a wide receiver for Boston’s offensive schemes, while Miami’s pre-snap motion influenced the team’s defensive approach. Mazzulla has also famously looked to the UFC, MLB, and even killer whales for inspiration from unexpected places.
It wasn’t exactly a serious assessment of Boston’s shortcomings, but one could say that QB-sneaking past a fine from NBA commissioner Adam Silver is an NFL-inspired move.
Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
The free-throw discrepancy doesn’t look significant at first glance — Boston attempted 15 to Minnesota’s 20 — but the raw numbers don’t capture the full context.
Returning from a one-game absence with a sore left ankle, Celtics center Neemias Queta wasted no time making an impact. The 26-year-old tied his career high with 19 points and added a career-best 18 rebounds, all while going head-to-head against Rudy Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Still, even with Queta back, healthy and efficient, Boston couldn’t outmuscle Minnesota. Julius Randle flirted with a double-double, finishing with 16 points and nine boards, while Naz Reid made his mark off the bench with 10 points, eight rebounds, a steal, and two blocks. The Celtics were constantly forced to take highly contested shots to stay in the game after building a 10-point halftime lead.
The Timberwolves found their stride in the third quarter, shooting 12-of-19 (63.2%) from the floor to score 35 points and soar past the Celtics with a 94-92 edge. During the same period, Boston struggled, going 9-for-23 (39.1%), missing nine 3-pointers, and committing four turnovers, leaving Mazzulla and his staff searching for answers with nowhere to turn.
Not even Jaylen Brown’s 41-point outburst could lift the Celtics over the hump.
On a much more serious note, Mazzulla criticized the Celtics for failing to win the battles within their control, which could have helped offset the physicality gap against the Timberwolves.
“We have to work extra hard to create those advantages versus bigger, more physical teams,” Mazzulla said. “They upped their physicality, and we’ve got to create better 2-on-1s — whether it’s with our speed, whether it’s with our screening, or our dribble-drive. We did a good job of that in the first half, and we’ve got to do a better job than we did in the second half.”
Surely Belichick would be proud, right? Or at least the Belichick we once knew.