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Joe Mazzulla raises surprising changes in the NBA: will power plays and the return of brawls be coming?

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla this week floated a proposal that could change the dynamics of basketball: incorporate a ‘power play’ system like the one used in ice hockey. In an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, Mazzulla suggested that certain fouls, such as technicals or counterattacks, should be penalised by allowing the team concerned to play with a numerical advantage for a few seconds. According to his approach, this would more effectively benefit teams that suffer such infractions.

Mazzulla explained that, when a technical foul or a foul to cut off a counter-attack is called, the offending team does not really get a significant benefit if it misses the free throw. ‘Why not take advantage of the foul and put a numerical advantage? Something short, like five seconds or a couple of passes in five-on-four,’ said the Celtics coach, who thinks it would be a fairer way to punish the offenders and reward the teams affected.

The reporter asked if the timeout should last an entire possession. For Mazzulla, that would be excessive, adding that, in his proposal, the penalised player should be kept in the centre circle for a few seconds while the power play is executed, allowing his team to reinstate him quickly.

But the proposal did not stop at ‘power plays’. The coach also suggested, in a provocative tone, that ‘fighting should be brought back’ in the NBA. According to Mazzulla, the elimination of brawls and fights in basketball has reduced the game's appeal compared to other sports. He recalled the fights, albeit sporadic, that are allowed in baseball and hockey, which he considers part of the thrill of the spectacle. ‘What have we taken away from the public? The thrill of an occasional fight. Why is it that in hockey they can fight or in baseball everybody jumps on the field, but in basketball we can't have it? In the end, we only have a ball, not guns or bats,’ he said with a smile.

Mazzulla's statements open the debate on the rules of basketball. His vision of adding a ‘power play’ could create new tactics to the game and provide even more spectacle, although it remains to be seen whether his ideas will gain support or remain just another controversial proposal on Mazzulla's record.

With these ideas, the Celtics coach makes it clear that he is not afraid to question the traditional rules of the NBA, seeking a more exciting competition for the public. It remains to be seen whether league officials would be willing to implement such changes or whether basketball will remain intact in its current format.