Joe Mazzulla quickly shut down any notion that was the case.

Official release Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla reacts after being called for a technical foul. NEW YORK – Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has been fined $35,000 for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official ...

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shrugged off a tense interaction with a ref after their loss to Chicago on Thursday, claiming he was simply wishing the official a "Merry Christmas."

Their three wins were blowouts over Detroit, Washington and Chicago. The Pistons and Bulls are fringe playoff teams at best in a watered-down Eastern Conference, and the Wizards are the worst team in the NBA. At 22-8, the Celtics now sit closer to the third-place New York Knicks than to the East-leading 26-4 Cleveland Cavaliers.

How did Joe Mazzulla become the head coach of the Boston Celtics, given how much of a maniac he is the sidelines? If anything, if we are being honest, it is that maniacal aspect that has turned the West Virginia alum into one of the best assets on the bench in the NBA today.

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was fined $35,000 by the league for "aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official," after Boston's 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls Thursday night.

Joe Mazzulla’s Christmas greetings were costly. The NBA fined the Boston Celtics coach $35,000 on Saturday “for aggressively pursuing and directing inappropriate language toward a game official” at the end of his team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

The Boston Celtics have had to deal with a lot of different narratives from the media regarding Jayson Tatum over the last couple of years, with a lot of them being negative. This is despite the fact that Tatum was a first-team All-NBA performer a year ago when the Celtics won their 18th NBA championship.

Both Joe Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown were furious with the officiating in Thursday night's Boston Celtics loss to the Chicago Bulls

Dec 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla held back as he reacts after called for a technical foul as they take on the Chicago Bulls in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Celtics have remained arguably the top team in the NBA this season, with Mazzulla garnering attention for his incredibly aggressive three-point game plan that has Boston shooting the most threes per game of any team in league history.