Joe Mazzulla, a respected Celtics coach, has expressed his desire for the NBA to reintroduce fighting into the game. Recognizing the physicality and intensity of the sport, Mazzulla believes that fights can serve as an outlet for players to release their frustrations and emotions.
But why fight? Mazulla explains;
“The biggest thing that we rob people of, from an entertainment standpoint, is you can’t fight any more. I wish you could bring back fighting…
I just don’t get why some sports are allowed to clear the benches… We just have a ball. The other sport has one of the hardest surfaces and playing instrument in pucks and sticks and we’re not allowed to throw down a little bit?”
Mazzulla wasn’t done with his wishlist, since he also said he’d like to see the league bring in some kind of a five-on-four advantage in certain situations.
“Hey, I mean, basketball is one of the only sports that doesn’t have a power play,” he said.
“I think soccer just put in the ‘blue card’ where a Guy has to go off and it’s a 10 on 9. Like we should have a power play. Because let’s say you have a technical or let’s say you get a take foul, and you get the one shot, but you’re not really rewarded for that because if you miss it, you don’t get the reward for that take foul. So there should be like a power play where on a take foul or on a technical, you have to play five on four for five seconds or three passes.”
And let’s not forget about the kids who look up to these NBA players as role models. What kind of message would it send if fighting was promoted in the league? So, while Mazzulla may have his reasons for wanting the reintroduction of fighting in the NBA, I think it’s a risky move.
Flip to the next page to watch one of the NBA fights…
