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Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown warms up.(Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
After the Boston Celtics‘ 100-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at the TD Garden, Jaylen Brown didn’t mince words when it came to the officiating. As he was letting his feelings be known, he acknowledged that he was going to get fined. On Monday afternoon, the NBA hit him in the wallet.
Before Boston’s game against the Indiana Pacers on the road, the league announced that it had fined Brown, $35,000 for public criticism of the officiating. Brown knew the fine was coming, but he still wanted to get his point across.
Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Fined for Blasting Officiating
After the Celtics blew a fourth-quarter lead to San Antonio, Brown was asked by the media about the pressure defense the Spurs employed. It was not the answer that many were expecting, to say the least.
“I feel like, honestly, they just got away with a lot,” Brown said. “Like, I’m tired of the inconsistency. I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some (expletive) tonight. I think they’re a good defensive team, but they ain’t that damn good. I hope somebody can just pull up the clips. Because it’s the same (expletive) every time we play a good team. It’s like they refuse to make calls and then call touch fouls on the other end.”
That was just the beginning for the Celtics’ superstar. He continued, and he knew the fine was coming.
“That’s just extremely frustrating, bro. Like we play hard,” Brown continued. “We are outplaying our expectations. We compete hard on the defensive end. And they reward the other team with touch fouls, and we go down there, and guys are allowed to get away with … Somebody please pull it up. Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy. I’ll take the (expletive) fine.”
Jaylen Brown Made His Point
The league did, and it was a hefty one. However, Brown does have a point. Boston shot four free throws in a physical game. It’s hard in this day and age to finish an NBA game with just four free throws shot. Very hard. On the flip side, the Spurs shot 20 free throws in the game.
Brown is having a great season. They are playing without Jayson Tatum, although he is expected to come back at some point. Not many people, if any, had the Celtics sitting as the third-seed currently in the Eastern Conference.
Part of the Celtics’ problem this season with the discrepancy at the free-throw line is their shot selection. Boston lives behind the 3-point line in games rather than driving to the basket. That is a big reason why they don’t shoot as many free throws as their opponents. The Celtics also commit a lot of fouls defensively. Sometimes way too many.
Although Brown got his point across, this isn’t the first time he has brought up the officiating. He did so after last Wednesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets at home.
“I’m one of the more aggressive players in the league,” said Brown. “I drive a lot. The whistle didn’t equate to that.”
Brown and the Celtics need to move on. He sent his message, and the NBA sent theirs with the fine on Monday afternoon.