Let’s just say Joe Mazzulla and Chris Boucher have met before.
Boucher, who signed a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics in early August, spent the previous seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors, which means he’s seen plenty of his Atlantic Division foe over the years. And during a Celtics-Raptors matchup at TD Garden on April 5, 2023, Boucher actually made contact with Boston’s head coach, bumping into Mazzulla as he walked back to Toronto’s huddle during a timeout.
Mazzulla was incensed in the moment; he started barking at Boucher and needed to be restrained by then-Celtics big man Robert Williams III. But when asked to reflect on the incident more than two years later, Mazzulla gave a very on-brand response.
“That was cool. I appreciated that,” Mazzulla told Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg at Celtics Media Day. “In the arena, we’re all competing to win, so I love that.”
Mazzulla admitted he probably wouldn’t have escalated the situation if Williams didn’t restrain him — “It’s a classic hold-me-back moment,” Mazzulla told Forsberg — but Boucher says he was ready for whatever the C’s head coach had in store for him.
“It probably would’ve gotten real,” Boucher told Forsberg at Celtics Media Day.
“To be honest with you, I probably would do that again and again and again,” Boucher added about his bump of Mazzulla. “I mean, it’s just who I am.”
For some head coaches, Boucher’s apparent willingness to make physical contact with them might be a red flag. Mazzulla, of course, isn’t like most head coaches — in fact, Boucher’s mindset was part of what made him appealing for this Celtics roster.
“The world is soft. The league is soft. And when you can have interactions and moments, I think those things test your competitive nature,” Mazzulla said.
“So, I appreciated the fact that he did that. I respect that he did it, and when we signed him I told him that, ‘We only signed you to get payback for what you did two years ago — and to watch your back.'”
Boucher confirmed that, yes, their 2023 run-in was one of the first things Mazzulla mentioned to him when he joined the Celtics in August.
“Yeah, that was the first thing he said,” Boucher recalled. “He was like, ‘I remember when you bumped me. And I didn’t know where he was taking it from, but he said that’s like the type of guy that he likes. He wants the guys (who are) like, ‘It’s us against everybody,’ and I think that it is just like a mentality that I have, and I think Joe has it too.”
“We’re not here to make friends. We’re not here to be buddy-buddy with anybody. We’re trying to win, we’re trying to get to the goal.”
If you know anything about Mazzulla — who once advocated for making fighting legal in the NBA — you know that answer is likely music to the Celtics head coach’s ears.
Mazzulla and Boucher will partake in their first game together on the same sideline Wednesday night when the Celtics take on the Grizzlies in their preseason opener (8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston).
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