Joe Mazzulla is all about gaining a mental advantage. And he thought Jaylen Brown helped give the Boston Celtics an edge Friday night when he received a technical foul for taunting Milwaukee Bucks' star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Early in the second half of Boston's 111-105 win over Milwaukee, Brown created a clear lane to the basket for an easy layup thanks to a couple of nifty crossover dribbles as Antetokounmpo guarded him. After Brown made the layup, he put his hand toward the floor, indicating that Antetokounmpo was "too small."
Well, Giannis didn't like that and gave Brown a subtle elbow as he tried to get back on defense. Brown then stayed close to point at and bump Antetokounmpo, which led to the technical getting called on Brown for taunting.
Jaylen Brown received a technical foul for taunting Giannis on this play. pic.twitter.com/xaKiiCq5ph
— ESPN (@espn) December 7, 2024
Brown thought Antetokounmpo should've got called for the elbow, but Mazzulla was happy with the outcome and saw it as an energy-shifting moment for his group.
"I thought that was great," Mazzulla said to reporters of the exchange after the game via Justin Turpin of WEEI. "I thought the elbow to the face kind of unlocked Jaylen a little bit. I thought the technical was tremendous by Jaylen and I thought from there on in, it just brought out an edge in us and we were able to feed off that."
Joe Mazzulla believes Giannis elbowing Jaylen Brown unlocked the Celtics:
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) December 7, 2024
“I thought the elbow to the face kind of unlocked Jaylen a little bit. I thought the technical was tremendous. And I thought from there on in, it just brought out an edge in us.” pic.twitter.com/ktliEZCX06
Brown and Antetokounmpo went at it previously on Nov. 10 when the Celtics and Bucks last played. Giannis put his hand out toward Brown for a high-five, but it was all a trap. It may have been the first "down low, too slow" fake out in an NBA game, which is a hilarious attempt to get in an opponent's head. Brown had some words for Giannis after the game.
Jaylen Brown on this moment with Giannis:
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 11, 2024
“Giannis is a child. I’m just focused on helping my team get a win. And that’s what we did tonight.”
(via @NBCSCeltics, 🎥 @sydn3yfink)
pic.twitter.com/QCXu1krd2e
Friday's meeting was the last regular season game on the schedule between the two teams, so we'll have to wait until the playoffs for another potential Brown-Giannis showdown.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Loved Jaylen Brown's Technical Foul for Taunting Giannis .
