If it looked as though Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was irate with referees at the end of Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls, that would be incorrect to assume. At least, that is what Mazzulla would like people to think. 

Following the 117-108 loss, Mazzulla charged the court looking to have words with official Justin Van Duyne seemingly in reference to the back-to-back technicals the official gave him and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter. 

Several people had to hold Mazzulla back. He was eventually ushered off the court without incident. 

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During his postgame presser, Mazzulla said he received a technical for walking on the court – something he admitted he should not have done. However, when asked what "message" he was trying to deliver at the end of the game, Mazzulla had an interesting explanation. 

"I hadn’t seen them in a while, so just a ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,’" he said with a serious expression. 

"I wasn’t sure I was gonna see them before the holiday, and you just can’t let a moment go by where you wish someone the best to them and their families."

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Brown, however, was not wishing anyone a happy holiday in his interactions with game officials. 

"I said to (Van Duyne), ‘You called a tech for no reason.’ He said, ‘If you say to it me again, I’m going to call another tech,’" Brown said, explaining that he approached Van Duyne to clarify what Mazzulla’s tech was for.   

"You can’t threaten guys with a technical foul, that’s not part of the game either. If you want to fine guys for gesturing and all that stuff – fine that. That’s some bulls---."

Mazzulla will have the chance to spread some more holiday cheer when the two teams meet again on Saturday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Fewer people are watching the NBA than in previous years, including some of the sport's top names.

Ratings for NBA games on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV are down 25% through Saturday, according to Sports Media Watch, and there are many ideas floating about why.

Three-pointer propensity and lack of defense are the two main bugaboos observers point to.

And it's become clear that players rest more often than they used to, and that the regular season has been watered down in recent years.

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Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about the declining ratings, and one would think the coach of the reigning champions would defend his game — but that was not the case.

"I add to that I don’t watch NBA games. I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else," Mazzulla admitted, adding he'd "rather watch something else.

"I don't like watching the games."

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently pointed to "the decline of cable" TV as a factor in the lower ratings.

"Our young audience isn’t subscribing to cable, and those fans aren’t finding our games," he said.

The league has attempted to rejuvenate the regular season by adding the NBA Cup, which ended this week with the Milwaukee Bucks victorious in Las Vegas. However, most fans don't take the NBA Cup seriously, despite the money at stake.

It should be noted that TV ratings for men's college basketball and the NHL are also down 21% and 28%, respectively, from last season. Women's college basketball is also down 38%, but former Iowa star Caitlin Clark also drew historic numbers that were bound to decline.

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Jaylen Brown was hit with a fine after making what the NBA called an "inappropriate gesture."

The Boston Celtics star motioned his thumb across his throat shortly after a dunk on Wednesday.

Brown threw down a two-handed dunk against the Detroit Pistons on Isaiah Stewart, and then made the gesture in Stewart's direction.

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Brown told the media after the 130-120 victory over the Pistons that he expected to hear from the NBA for his actions.

Well, he has been hit with a $25,000 fine.

It's only the second fine in the NBA this season for an "obscene gesture," according to Spotrac.  Anthony Edwards was fined $35,000 for giving the middle finger.

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Players were hit with fines last year due to gestures, perhaps most notably Rudy Gobert, when he seemed to indicate that referees had money on a game. That cost him $100,000.

Brown had 28 points with nine assists, and Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Celtics to their ninth victory in 10 games.

The Celtics held a double-digit lead until the fourth quarter, when Detroit hit four straight three-pointers to come within eight points, 109-101, and force Boston coach Joe Mazzulla to put Brown back in.

The Pistons cut it to five in the final minute on Tobias Harris' three-pointer, but Payton Pritchard's late three sealed it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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President Biden hosted the 2024 NBA champion Boston Celtics at the White House on Thursday, but he was either not completely sure of that or making a joke.

While announcing the team's latest championship, Biden turned to the team to make sure they were called the Celtics. 

"You're the Celtics, right?" Biden asked the players during a moment in his address. The comment was met with light but reserved chuckles from some in the crowd. 

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Biden also joked that he didn't know where the players came from.

"They just showed up. I don’t know where the hell they came from," Biden said. 

Later in the speech, Biden appeared to reveal his Secret Service code name. "Celtic" has been Biden's code name throughout his presidency and even dating back to his vice presidency under President Obama, according to Britannica.  

"All of you may not know this, but my Secret Service name is ‘Celtic.’ For real, because I’m Irish," Biden said. "Everybody behind me is Irish in their heart. I feel a special pride in this trophy for this old Irish Celtic. To all you Celtics, congratulations."

Biden concluded his speech by pointing out that John F. Kennedy was the first president to host an NBA champion when the Celtics visited in 1963.

"Part of that wonderful tradition, celebrating the power of sports to bring people together. It’s a tradition that I’ve had the honor to continue. No matter the sport. What these champions all have in common are core values. … Hard work, teamwork, respect and the knowledge that no one of us is ever as good as all of us can be when we’re together," he said.

After Biden's speech, he received a custom Celtics jersey and took a basketball with him as he walked down the stairs. He dribbled the ball and even made a few passes to attendees in the crowd. 

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The 2023-24 Celtics roster, coaching staff and ownership group were on hand on the South Lawn for Thursday’s event.

The 2023 champion Denver Nuggets did not attend a Biden White House visit, reportedly due to "scheduling issues," the team previously told The Denver Post. 

Prior to Thursday, the last NBA champion to visit Biden's White House was the 2021-2022 Golden State Warriors. Those Warriors visited in late January 2023. The Celtics' White House visit was scheduled for November. By late January of next year, Trump will be in office.

Not a single NBA champion attended the Trump White House when he was in office. However, the only two teams to win the title under Trump prior to the COVID-19 pandemic were the Warriors, who Trump did not invite, and the Toronto Raptors, who are based in Canada. 

Trump infamously declined to invite several major women's basketball championship teams to the White House during his first term, including every WNBA champion. 

The one time Trump's White House hosted a women's basketball team was the 2019 national champion Baylor Bears, led by former head coach Kim Mulkey. 

The only two NFL teams to get invitations to Trump's White House during his first term were the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots accepted both invitations in 2017 and 2019. The Eagles' visit was canceled, and the team released a statement saying it was in relation to Trump's stance on players standing for the national anthem.

During Trump's first term, and even during his recent campaign, college football has been the sport to embrace him the most in the U.S. His appearances at games, including multiple Army-Navy games during his first term and a Georgia-Alabama game in September, were met with rousing applause.

No college football national champion skipped a White House visit during Trump's first term. Georgia skipped a visit to President Biden's White House in 2023.

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