'Disrespect' Raptors not pleased with Boston Celtics coach

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Was it bush league or coaching everyone on the roster the right way? It depends on who you ask, but the Raptors certainly weren’t thrilled with Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla on Saturday night.

The Raptors got blown out in Boston and even though the Celtics were playing the second part of a back-to-back, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were still in the game with less than five minutes remaining, even with the team up by nearly 30 points. That usually doesn’t happen, but can be easily forgiven.

What irked the Raptors was Mazzulla deciding to challenge an out-of-bounds call with 3:39 left and his team up 27. It seemed like bad sportsmanship and against the unwritten rules of the sport, the same way the prevailing team taking a shot in the dying seconds of a game that had already been decided has sparked bad feelings in the past. It seems like the Raptors might remember this when they meet again on Friday in Toronto.

“Up 30 you’re not supposed to challenge nothing,” Raptors point guard Dennis Schroder told the Boston Globe after the game. “You won, it’s three minutes left. You shouldn’t disrespect us like that.”

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had some words for the Celtics bench during the challenge and later offered a terse”no comment” to reporters in Boston, while Jakob Poeltl, maybe the best Raptor on a night of off-nights, said: “I don’t care. I think, it’s unnecessary, I wouldn’t do it, but I don’t care.”

Mazzulla defended his decision, though he seemed to understand why some wouldn’t agree with it.

“I don’t know if it was disrespectful or cheap to challenge in that situation,” Mazzulla said. “I don’t really agree or disagree. I think at the end of the day, my responsibility is to my players first, and having respect for the game. We’ve been in that situation before where we don’t shoot the last shot, we let the clock go out. We do that all the time.”

Mazzulla’s reserves had asked him to challenge the call and he said he felt it was his “responsibility to my players first. It was a clear opportunity for me to empower my players, let them know that I’m coaching you, and those minutes to me are just as important as the start of the game.”

Some would agree that the Celtics are a clear championship contender and will need many reserves to stay in top form all season, so every minute counts. Others would add the Raptors should worry about not playing awful, instead of the perceived slight.

Either way, it will be interesting to see if there will be any carry-over later this week.