Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been in a tense dance with NBA officials throughout the season, and his teammates are firmly in his corner. That camaraderie only intensified after Tuesday night’s 125-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, when Brown was ejected for just the second time in his decade-long career, and it happened before halftime.
With under four minutes left in the second quarter, Brown found himself trapped in a double-team by Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama. Castle’s reach caused Brown to hit the deck and lose possession.
The lack of a foul call was the final straw for Brown. He approached officiating crew chief Tyler Ford and received a technical foul.
Referee Suyash Mehta, from a distance, issued a second technical as Brown continued his protest, leading to an automatic ejection.
“I get where Jaylen’s coming from,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said to reporters. “I back him 100 percent. His frustration was justified.”
After leaving the court, Brown expressed his frustration on social media, posting, “This the sh*t I be talking about.” He’s been vocal about officiating this season, despite potential fines, and hasn’t held back against certain officials.
Mazzulla opened his postgame press conference with a jab at Ford, highlighting Mehta’s intervention.
“Credit to my high school principal,” Mazzulla quipped. “He had the guts to throw a student out. Didn’t leave it to the hall monitor.”
He added, “He was a hell of a principal.”
From teammates to a Celtics security guard, everyone tried to keep Brown from reaching Mehta. They managed to calm the situation, but it left the team without their star for the second half against the Western Conference’s second-best team.
The decision seemed absurd on the surface.
Mehta’s call didn’t just impact the Celtics by removing their best player - it also deprived fans of the Brown versus Wembanyama showdown they came to see. Superstars typically get some leeway, but Brown’s treatment seems inconsistent compared to his peers.
In an era where load management and tanking are hot topics, Brown has been a constant presence, missing just six of Boston’s 65 games and performing at an MVP level without Jayson Tatum. He’s earned some slack.
“I disagree with it,” Tatum said. “The NBA emphasizes prime-time games and star availability.
He definitely got pushed. First tech, maybe deserved - emotions run high - but the second tech, you have to understand it’s a national TV game between top teams.
You emphasize stars playing, then quickly eject someone. I disagree.”
In a pool report by ESPN’s Michael Wright, Ford explained Brown’s first technical was for “aggressively pointing and using profanity” after the no-call, while the second was for approaching an official aggressively. Ford maintained there was no illegal contact on the play with Castle.
Brown had eight points and seven assists when he was ejected, with Boston leading 51-49.
Derrick White echoed Mazzulla and Tatum’s sentiments in the locker room.
“I think he got fouled,” White said. “He earned the first one. The second was bullsh*t, honestly.”
Without Brown, the Celtics struggled to contain Wembanyama, whose 39-point double-double was too much. San Antonio poured in 67 points in the second half, leaving Boston scrambling.
Tatum had a tough night, shooting 4-of-14 from three, and the bench, apart from Ron Harper Jr., was largely ineffective. Harper’s career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting was a highlight, but not enough to lift the Celtics.
White was still baffled by the decision to eject Brown.
“You can’t throw out a guy who’s been crucial all year, especially in a game like this,” he said. “How do you throw him out? It was ridiculous, and it was tough to play the second half without him.”
Back in January, after a game against the Spurs at TD Garden, Brown was vocal about his frustrations with the officiating, unfazed by potential fines.
“I wish someone would just pull up the clips, because it’s the same issue every time we play a strong team,” Brown said. “They refuse to make a call, then call touch-fouls on the other end. It’s extremely frustrating.”