Celtics’ Jaylen Brown unloads on refs after receiving 0 free throws in loss to Spurs: ‘Give me the fine’
Jaylen Brown can expect a letter from the NBA in his inbox in the next few days. He made it very clear on Saturday that he agrees.
In a battle between two teams near the top of the conference standings, Brown’s Boston Celtics lost 100-95 to the San Antonio Spurs. Boston finished the game with a season-low four free throws, while the Spurs received 20 attempts.
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Brown had a productive but inefficient game with 27 points on 11 of 28 shooting (and zero free throw attempts), plus 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 turnovers. After the match, he attacked the referee team of Curtis Blair, Nick Buchert and Jason Goldenberg while speaking to reporters:
“I’ll take the fine at this point. I thought it was bullshit tonight. I think they’re a good defensive team, but they’re not that damn good. I hope someone can just pull up the clips, because it’s the same shit every time we play a good team. It’s like they refuse to make a call, then they call touch fouls on the other end, and that’s extremely frustrating, bro.
“We play hard. We’re exceeding our expectations, we compete hard on defense and they reward the other team with touch fouls and we go down there and the guys can get away with it – someone, please, bring it up. Every time we play a good team the inconsistency is crazy. I’ll get the fucking fine. Curtis, all those guys, they were terrible tonight. I don’t care, they can fine me whatever they want.”
While we can’t analyze all the calls and non-calls Brown has in mind, the data indicates he may be right. As a team, the Celtics have received 4.4 fewer free throw attempts than their opponent per game entering Saturday, the lowest mark in the NBA, while the Spurs are second-highest at 4.7 more than their opponent per game (the Los Angeles Lakers are first with 4.8 more).
Furthermore, if we mean by “good team” a team that has won at least 60% of its games this season, that free throw margin becomes an incredible 10.7 less per game when including the Spurs game. In the Nov. 1 loss to the Houston Rockets, Houston received 28 more free throws than Boston.
All this entails a clarification: equal free throw attempts does not mean good refereeing. Different styles of play on offense and defense lead to different foul rates. An offense that focuses on driving the ball will receive more free throws than one that attempts more 3-point shots. The Celtics could fall into the latter category, as they are second in 3-point attempts per game in the league.
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However, the team at the bottom of the table in what is essentially a refereeing decision will never be happy, and Brown insisted that the physicality allowed was hurting his team:
“I’m angry with how they officiated the game today. If we can’t get to the free throw line and teams are allowed to be physical and push us out of our spots, it’s hard to win games like that. Tonight we shot four free throws and lost the game by four.
“Not to say it’s the whole game, the whole story. We gotta be better in some spots, gotta be better in some spots, but damn. I’m driving to the basket, I’m physical, I don’t flop, I don’t shy away from contact. I go up hard, I’m athletic and nothing. I didn’t have any free throws tonight. The inconsistency is damn crazy. Give me the ticket.”
It’s not the first time this season he’s complained about the refereeing.
The loss drops the Celtics’ record to 24-14, putting them in a tie with the New York Knicks for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. However they officiated, they were still one of the NBA’s biggest surprises in a season without Jayson Tatum.
In Tatum’s absence, Brown is averaging a career-high 29.5 points per game and will almost certainly suit up for the NBA All-Star Game next month if healthy.