Lakers want to interview Celtics assistant Sam Cassell

Lakers received permission to interview Celtics assistant Sam Cassell for their vacant head coaching position, according to ESPN.

Cassell, who joined the Celtics staff last June, is one of several assistant coaches the Lakers have asked to interview. Other candidates include Nuggets assistant David AdelmanTimberwolves assistant Micah Noriand Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

Cassell played 15 seasons in the NBA and won a title with the Celtics as a player in 2008. He spent five seasons with the Wizards as an assistant before working on Doc Rivers staff with the 76ers and the Clippers.

‘He’s occupied every seat on the bench in the NBA,’ Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So he knows how to communicate with each player because he’s been where that particular player has been. One of the first things he does on the plane is watch film.”

“Even though he’s a former player, he’s one of those guys that wants to study the game, learn the game. Loyal. Communicates well. He’s a good coach, a great coach. Glad to have it.

Charles Lee, the top assistant on the Celtics staff, was named head coach of the Hornets last Thursday. He is expected to remain on the Celtics team until the end of the playoffs.

Clean the glass

Jayson Tatum made up most of the rebound delay with Kristaps Porzingis out.

He is averaging a team-high 10.4 rebounds per game, which ranks eighth in the league. He totals 3.5 more rebounds per game than Jaylen Brown who is second on the team’s roster.

“I think it’s just his ability to impact the game in different ways,” Mazzulla said. “As matchups evolve, he’s often on a five or a guy closer to the basket and he has to be able to box out, rebound, and he’s done a really good job of that. This is one of the strong points against this team and we need to make sure we continue to bounce back at a high level.

Difficult thoughts

Mazzulla contested a foul Al Horford at a key moment in the fourth quarter Monday night and the call was overturned. Horford blocked a Garland of Darius layup attempt with 4:04 left.

Garland would have been at the free throw line with the chance to cut the Celtics’ lead to 5. The Celtics held on to their slim lead and ended up winning by 7. It was Horford’s third block of the playoffs .

“They said it was head contact and then we had an angle where there wasn’t one, so once we had that angle we felt comfortable going for it. challenge,” Mazzulla said.

Mazzulla said he hasn’t changed his process to address coaching challenges during the postseason.

“Same as the regular season, same process,” Mazzulla said. “What is the timeout situation, who is it obligatory on, how many points can you save?” All of these things come into play. Obviously the block fee is minimal – it’s not returned as much because there’s a 50-50 call. It also depends on the call, but it’s the same process as in the regular season.