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Why Joe Mazzulla actually liked Mikal Bridges chirping at Celtics’ bench
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- Why Joe Mazzulla actually liked Mikal Bridges chirping at Celtics’ bench
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The post Why Joe Mazzulla actually liked Mikal Bridges chirping at Celtics' bench appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Boston Celtics outlasted the New York Knicks , 123-117, at TD Garden on Tuesday, with Jaylen Brown exploding for a season-high 42 points.
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Brown battled against the Knicks' tough defenders , including Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart , but he still came out on top, shooting 16-of-24 from the field. He also had four rebounds and four assists.
The tension was high during the game, which was a rematch of last season's conference semifinals. Bridges, who had a team-high 35 points, taunted the Celtics' bench several times. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla , however, said he simply brushed off Bridges' chirping.
"I don't mind that stuff. I like it. It's part of the game. (It) keeps me going, and I thought the guys handled it well," said Mazzulla in a video posted by SNY.
Bridges was on fire against the Celtics, shooting 12-of-17 from the field, including 8-of-12 from beyond the arc. He added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
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The 37-year-old Mazzulla likes to play mind games himself, so he knows Bridges was only trying to psyche them out. The strategy, however, backfired on the 29-year-old wingman.
But in the end, as Mazzulla said, it's just the competitive nature coming to the surface. Bridges even acknowledged Mazzulla's work with the Celtics during his postgame interview .
"I think he's a hell of a coach. They got guys that are gonna play hard and smart. They have a lot of talent. I know they got guys banged up or not here, but they got next man up," said Bridges in the video posted by CLNS.
The Celtics improved to 12-9, while the Knicks dropped to 13-7 .
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