Jayson Tatum better keep the receipts if he ever wants to spend a coin in the Mazzulla universe. Long been foreshadowed of grooming a little Kelly Olynk in him — frustrating lack of aggression punctuated by up-fakes, Tatum’s reservation was initially given the benefit of the doubt… A wishful thinking coming from the C’s faithful that the then-19-year-old is a respectful rookie, scavenging after the alphas of the pride have taken a go at it. Eight years have passed by, and suspicions soon banged a U-ey to solidify as a hard fact by many. Concerns whether JT is being looked off by role players or should HC Joe Mazzulla re-establish the pecking order took a stronghold in the Bay State. 

With Tatum’s 12th technical foul of the season (against the Portland Trail Blazers) and his 13th in the recent win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the tension between frustration and discipline is palpable. Or better yet, Mazzulla’s influence on JT is palpable. In fact, the one that set the ball rolling this season was when former NBA player Brandon Jennings wondered out loud whether the first Celtic to average 30 ppg was, in fact, “the softest Boston Celtics superstar ever.” It was a storm in the making.

When asked on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand, the HC announced, “That’s a coin.” Surprise, surprise, because just days later, Tatum certainly had his coach’s approval when the latter walked up to the court near the scrum with a wacky grin drawn across his face and clapped the entire time. We are talking about the tussle between Hawks’ Onyeka Onkongwu and Tatum on Jan 18, which happened just a minute into overtime.

No foul, though, and the game went on as routine. Yet, it wasn’t just about this single moment—it was part of a bigger narrative forming around the Celtics’ toughness this season. Call it passion or unnecessary distraction, for all we know, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call the 2025 Celtics the new 2000s Spurs. Or shall we say, the new 2024 Kansas City Chiefs instead, now that JT has spilled a fresh bite on a bizarre Mazulla incident in last week’s edition of the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast. 

Joe Mazzulla wants the NBA to have Jayson Tatum suspended!

At the time of the interview, Tatum had just picked up his 12th technical foul of the season—a number that put him on thin ice. In the NBA, reaching 16 techs triggers an automatic one-game suspension, and every two after that means another sit-out. With a tight schedule and the playoffs on the horizon, this wasn’t just a statistic—it was a looming threat. But Mazzulla, in his usual unconventional fashion, saw an opportunity in it. For him, it could be an uncommon solution to the grueling reality of a tight schedule: Better get some shut-eye before the playoffs begin. “Joe was like, ‘Yo, can you get four more so you can get suspended?’ And I’m like, ‘Joe, I think I’m done,‘” Tatum revealed. Only the response coming from JT flipped the 36-year-old into an out-and-out MMA aficionado. 

“He’s like, ‘I would much rather you just come punch me. I wanna fight. He’s like, ‘When Travis Kelce ran into Andy Reid, do that to me!‘” It was Super Bowl 58 where the Kansas City Chiefs had squandered the only chance of scoring in the second quarter. Kelce, who wasn’t in the game on a pivotal end-zone play that eventually ended with a turnover, had to let off some steam. Andy Reid was on the sidelines, and Kelce decided to literally bump and scream into Reid’s face. Take a look at the video:

The recounted moment saw the three of them burst out laughing. Retired center Jason Kelce screamed, “I love it. Oh my god!” into the camera. But Travis couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. He said, “Shoutout to Coach Reid for being the man and for not getting too riled up. That’s too funny, man. You could tell Joe does it the right way.” Mazzulla’s request wasn’t out of character, though. Known for his intense coaching style, he pushes players both physically and mentally. History has witnessed him being fined $35,000 for aggressively confronting officials, showing tough love to players like Neemias Queta, or Jaylen Brown describing Mazzulla’s training camps as some of the toughest he’s ever experienced.

But, right way or not, one thing’s for sure—Mazzulla’s methods are as unpredictable as ever. Maybe Tatum should just stick to scoring instead of sparring. After all, with the playoffs around the corner, Boston needs their star on the court, not in a timeout for throwing punches… even if it’s at his own coach.