Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla turned heads this week when he said he wanted to see physicality return to the NBA.

Well, Mazzulla got his wish on Friday evening. The only downside was that his star player was on the other side of a cheap shot.

Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams flew in and rolled over his former Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum as the five-time All-Star walked down the court with the ball with 2:02 left in Boston’s 124-109 victory at the Spectrum Center. The unnecessary foul was ruled a flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection for Williams.

Mazzulla famously offered a unique response to the hard clash between Williams and Tatum.

“I loved it. It was great. It was amazing,” Mazzulla told reporters, according to NBC Sports Boston’s post-game reporting. “Physical play, guys handled it well. Great balance, great execution. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Tatum, who scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, quickly got up after being knocked to the ground by Williams and made a beeline for the free-throw line. Tatum’s co-star Jaylen Brown came to his defense and said a few words for Williams before the two parted ways.

However, Tatum’s emotionless reaction stood out to Mazzulla, and he couldn’t have been happier about it.

“I don’t like seeing him (being ridden). I’m glad he’s doing well,” Mazzulla said. ‘What I liked most was that he immediately jumped up, didn’t lie down and didn’t really upset him. Just went right up there, went to the free throw line and did his business. I don’t like that he did it, but I’m glad he’s doing well. But I’m more happy with how he responded to it. Just get up, move on to the next game and the team responded well too. It’s an honor for him.”

The Hornets were annoying, but Williams’ encounter with Tatum was just one example of Charlotte losing its cool down the stretch as the Celtics closed the game on a 24-9 run.

LaMelo Ball was called for a flagrant 1 foul on Tatum for being in his landing zone seconds after Williams was thrown and Miles Bridges was given a double technical foul in the final minute of the game.