Joe Mazzulla, Billy Donovan discuss Celtics tactic to foul Andre Drummond / News - Basketnews.com

Joe Mazzulla apologizes for unconventional Hack-A-Drummond strategy in victory over the Bulls, while Billy Donovan feels bad for the veteran Andre Drummond, who had endured a fouling frenzy.

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In Tuesday's 124-97 victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics used a strategic fouling approach against center Andre Drummond in the second half despite a big lead.

Player of the Game EFF 28 Al Horford Points 16 Accuracy 6-8 Rebounds 9 Assists 6

This move was aimed at maintaining a sufficient point differential to secure their advancement to the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

The tactic proved successful, as Boston secured a three-team tiebreaker win against the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic, clinching the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Their next challenge awaits against the 2-seeded Indiana Pacers.

However, Chicago head coach Billy Donovan wasn't particularly happy with the strategy of repeatedly hacking Drummond and felt bad for the vet.

"Andre is a veteran guy, and I told Mazzulla, 'What are we doing here?' Donovan said. "I get keeping your guys in, wanting to get in. The league's made it a big deal. But [the Celtics] also, in fairness to them, they gotta deal with the rules too. If they're trying to get into Vegas, there are things they gotta do. For me, it was just the fouling. And Joe was great when I talked to him. He understood.

"It's just a tough situation. ... Everybody is trying to take this tournament seriously and for them to get to Vegas, there is a point difference, and I understand the situation Joe is in, so there are no hard feelings. He needs to coach his team and do his best. I just felt bad for Andre in this situation. This is how I felt."

In response, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla offered apologies to both Donovan and Drummond after the game.

"We had a guy on our staff sitting near the bench. I told him don't talk to me until we're at the point where it's necessary," Mazzulla said. "So once it got to 30 at the start of the fourth, we started communicating on what the Brooklyn game was going and what the deficit was. So when I started the Hack-A-Drummond, Billy thought we had to win by 22, but he didn't know the ramifications of what was going on in the Brooklyn-Toronto game.

"So I just had to explain to him this is what our people are telling us, this is what we have to do, this is the process of protecting our lead. This gives us the best chance to win and advance. Credit to him for understanding that."

During the game, the Celtics intentionally sent Drummond to the free-throw line six times, where he managed to convert only one attempt.

The victory required Boston to secure a margin of victory of at least 23 points over Chicago to advance to the next tournament stage.

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