CHICAGO — Last year’s NBA Cup game between the Bulls and Celtics ended with controversy as Boston coach Joe Mazzulla was relegated to running up the score to boost point differential and increased his team’s chances at a wild-card spot.
It worked. The Celtics earned a spot in the final eight before losing to the Pacers, who went on to reach the championship game. But there needed to be a conversation between Mazzulla and Chicago coach Billy Donovan because Mazzulla resorted to intentionally fouling poor free throw shooter Andre Drummond to get the Celtics extra possessions. Drummond was visibly embarrassed and upset, and Donovan was angry with the decision.
The Celtics and Bulls met up again Friday night at United Center in NBA Cup play.
“The conversation was great with Joe and I have a lot of respect for Joe and like Joe,” Donovan said. “I wouldn’t say we’re close. But I do have a great deal of respect for him. I appreciated the conversation we had after the game was over with.
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“With all that point differential stuff, I think it was something new that was for everybody. At that point and time, they were clearly tracking the point differential. I understood that.”
Donovan said he had no issues with the Celtics playing their starters because they had to win the game by 24 points. But Drummond, who made one of his six free throws, was exposed in the final minutes. The Celtics won, 124-97.
“Andre was being put into a bad situation,” Donovan said. “That’s all. I understood [what] Joe was saying and maybe after he had some time to think about it (he understood my point).”
Donovan had a chance to run up the score Tuesday against the Wizards but said he refrained because the Bulls played the next night in Orlando and he did not want to risk injury.
Plot twists and turns
Now that the Hawks have beaten the Cavaliers, the Celtics need help to reach the NBA Cup quarterfinals. They needed to beat Chicago and then emerge as the best second-place team to earn that lone spot, which means a road game. Entering Friday, Groups A and B each had two undefeated teams. The Knicks won earlier Friday and improved to 3-0 while the 2-0 Magic played the Nets on the road at night. In Group B, the Bucks are 3-0 and the 2-0 Pistons played at Indiana. Detroit hosts Milwaukee on Tuesday.
The Celtics needed to win Friday and hope the Magic and Pistons either lose out to reach the wild card or be the best 3-1 team with point differential. That means it would be in the best interest for Boston to run up the score on Chicago if it leads late in the game.
The Bulls, however, entered the game with a chance to win Group C with a victory because they beat Atlanta in group play.
“With the in-season tournament, just trying to track our guys with what’s going on,” Donovan said. “We’ve talked about it, every game we’ve played and we talked about it (Friday) morning. We have a great opportunity in front of us, clearly playing one of the best teams in the league. It’s a great challenge for us.”
Sunshine State of mind
Donovan coached Al Horford at the University of Florida and the two have remained close over the years. Horford is the final remaining player from those back-to-back championship teams, and it took 17 years to win his first NBA title. Horford’s college teammate, Corey Brewer, won a championship with the 2010-11 Mavericks.
“I was personally really, really happy for [Horford],” Donovan said. “Just because I know how much he puts into it and I know how much winning is a priority for him. I give him a lot of credit for the perseverance over his career. He’s been on some teams that have gotten close but maybe never to the point where they got last year.
“Knowing his character and who he is as a player, he’s had a Hall of Fame career and I know the impact that he has on teams in the locker room.”
Planning ahead for Porzingis
Mazzulla said the Celtics have mapped out Kristaps Porzingis’s playing schedule for the next few weeks. He is not likely to play in back-to-back games and the Celtics have two sets over the next 10 days. Horford also does not play in back-to-backs, meaning the two could potentially alternate consecutive games … The Celtics were whole with Luke Kornet, who missed the previous two games with hamstring tightness, was cleared to return and gave the team a full complement of centers … The Bulls were also fully healthy as Coby White (wrist), Jalen Smith (ankle), and Dalen Terry (ankle) all participated in shootaround and were available. White came in averaging 18.7 points and shooting a career-high 38.9 percent from the 3-point line.
