The Boston Celtics may have lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, but Joe Mazzulla and Derrick White had no intention of letting the mood stay gloomy. The pair showed up at TD Garden on Monday for WWE’s “Monday Night Raw,” and when the cameras found them, Mazzulla made sure to put on a show.
Joe Mazzulla Steals the Spotlight at WWE Raw With Playful Attack on Derrick White in Front of Boston Crowd
Monday night’s event took place at TD Garden in Boston. Commentators introduced White to the crowd, who gave him a warm reception, before the camera panned to Mazzulla sitting beside him.
The Celtics head coach then playfully punched White on the back and kept going, working his way around White’s neck, head, and shoulders in what can only be described as a committed performance. White took the whole thing in stride as the Boston crowd, already cheering loudly for both men, embraced it.
Joe Mazzulla fighting Derrick White at Monday Night Raw 💀
(h/t @FadeAwayMedia)
pic.twitter.com/grgUs2gXc7— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) March 24, 2026
Mazzulla’s ovation from the “Raw” crowd was notably bigger than White’s, which, given that White is one of the more beloved Celtics of the championship era, says a lot about the coach’s popularity in the city. Both men were part of Boston’s 2024 NBA championship team, and the TD Garden faithful made sure they felt it.
It was a welcome moment of levity for a team that needs to regroup quickly. The Celtics fell to the Timberwolves 102-92 on Sunday, collapsing in the fourth quarter and allowing Minnesota to outscore them 26-15 in the final frame.
Boston now sits second in the Eastern Conference at 47-24, just half a game ahead of the surging New York Knicks, who have won six straight, with 11 games remaining. The race for the No. 2 seed is tightening, and every game from here carries real weight.
Can the Celtics Hold Off the Knicks for the No. 2 Seed?
The loss to Minnesota also effectively ended any realistic hope of catching the Detroit Pistons for the top seed. Boston now trails Detroit by 4.5 games with 11 games left, a gap that would require a near-perfect run to close.
The focus now shifts entirely to holding off the Knicks, who have won six straight and sit just half a game behind the Celtics in the East standings.
The stakes of that race are significant. With Cade Cunningham sidelined for Detroit due to a collapsed lung, whoever lands the No. 2 seed would hold home-court advantage for the duration of their playoff run through the East if the Pistons stumble early.
Boston’s remaining schedule is the third toughest in the league, so there is no room for the kind of fourth quarter they had on Sunday.
For one night at least, Mazzulla and White got to leave all of that behind. And the footage of the coach enthusiastically sparring with his own player in front of a WWE crowd will likely make the rounds for a while.
