The Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla is taking some of the blame for the NBA ratings dilemma

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla sits in the front row watching Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and that’s enough for him – literally.

The league has suffered a setback in its television ratings, most recently seeing an uptick during the NBA Cup. While teams like the Celtics were getting a much-needed break, the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder were fighting for the NBA Cup title and no one seemed to care. According to Sports Media Watch, the tournament’s semifinal games, which also featured the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, saw a 19% decline in viewership compared to last season.

Mazzulla revealed in his free time from the comfort of his home that attending NBA basketball games wasn’t interesting enough for the third-year coach.

“I’ll add that. I don’t watch NBA games,” Mazzulla told reporters at team practice on Wednesday, according to CLNS Media. “So I’m as much of a problem as anyone else. I don’t like watching the games.”

Mazzulla added: “I’m there (NBA basketball) all the time, so I’d rather watch something else.”

When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first introduced the regular-season tournament over a year ago, the reaction was scattered but muted. The reception began to swing in the league’s favor as the usual mundanity of a November match became real stakes, giving fans something to look forward to. Mazzulla unleashed a “Hack-a-Shaq”-inspired defense against the Chicago Bulls, point differentials had teams and fans watching the scoreboards across the league, and Silver’s vision became a reality.

Now the opposite has happened and the viewership has not been able to keep up with the last season. There’s no clear source to point the finger at, but considering this trend has crept from the regular season into tournament play – with the goal of increasing viewership – the league needs to look for answers.

“To be blunt, ratings were down a bit early in the season, but cable TV viewership is down double digits so far this year compared to last year,” Silver said, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “We’re almost at the tipping point where people are watching more shows on streaming than on traditional TV. And that’s one reason why in our new television deals we’re signing next year, every game will be available on a streaming service.”

Although Mazzulla has few words to say on the ratings issue, he has a lot to say to those who are alienating the Celtics. Boston’s 3-point-heavy style, which led the team to the promised land last season, is among the most frequently brought up talking points associated with the decline in attendance.

“I think that’s an interesting perspective because in the NFL, people don’t say, ‘I want to score less,'” Mazzulla said. “They’re not going to make the end zones any smaller. They won’t make the field smaller. There are always more points to be scored in other sports, and I guess my question would be why is scoring a problem in basketball as opposed to other sports? Does anyone want to watch a football game and see fewer touchdowns? I think at the end of the day, anything new or change is different.”