Joe Mazzulla wants NBA to bring back fighting

Joe Mazzulla wants NBA to bring back fighting

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s not. But it feels like whenever Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla opens his mouth, pure gold comes out. From his quote about studying the emergency exits of every building he enters to him saying he wants Boston to have a bullseye in between their eyes, he’s a quote factory.

On Tuesday, he unloaded another gem, this time about how the lack of fighting in the NBA has hurt the league’s entertainment product–specifically comparing it to hockey.

“The biggest thing that we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can’t fight anymore. I wish we’d bring back fighting,” Mazzulla said. “What’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 one of the hardest playing surfaces and a puck and a stick. And yet we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit?”

Joe Mazzulla has a few interesting rule change ideas for the NBA… he wants the league to add a power play, and to bring back fighting 🤔@ZoandBertrand pic.twitter.com/6czizVLe33

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 29, 2024

There’s obvious danger in promoting legitimate fisticuffs between NBA players, with fighting in the NBA being substantially easier than it is on ice. I’m not sure what the rate is between punches thrown and landed in a hockey rink, but that number doesn’t feel like it’s very high. Maybe I’m wrong there, too.

There are also much bigger athletes in the NBA; debating which league has the stronger or tougher athletes is up for question, but NBA players are unquestionably larger human beings. Fans are at risk of injury without protective glass, unlike in hockey. There are obvious reasons why it’s not as safe.

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But Mazzulla does have a point–the entertainment product would skyrocket if there were an increase in actual fights instead of two players jawing back in forth with minimal shoves. The Malice at the Palace did bring a lot more restrictions, and player safety is of the utmost importance–because that also has a huge impact on the league’s entertainment value–but it is an interesting proposal.

Either way, NBA fans want more physicality in today’s game–as do I. The NBA allowed more physicality post-All-Star break last year, so it wouldn’t hurt for them to be more consistent with how games were officiated from that perspective (and in general).

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