The numbers back up Jaylen Brown’s vent about officiating in C’s-Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown made at least a $25,000 donation Saturday night by delivering a vociferous postgame rant about the officiating after his Boston Celtics endured a narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
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Having already sounded off multiple times this season — including after a loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier in the week — Brown made his firmest and most direct declaration while accepting that his wallet would be lighter in the aftermath.
“I feel like, honestly, (the Spurs) just got away with a lot. And I’m tired of the inconsistency,” said Brown. I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some bulls— tonight. I think [the Spurs are] 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 s— every time we play a good team. It’s like they refuse to make a call then call touch fouls on the other end.”
Brown did not shoot a single free throw over 43 minutes, 22 seconds of floor time against the Spurs. The Celtics generated just four free throw attempts overall, tied for the second-fewest in franchise history.
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Boston’s free-throw rate in Saturday’s game was the worst in the NBA this season.
Did Brown deserve more calls? The numbers certainly suggest a harsh whistle in recent games against top competition.
In losses this week to the Nuggets and Spurs — two of the top teams in the Western Conference — Brown was credited with 54 total drives. He drew just one shooting foul, or 1.9 percent of his total drives.
For the season, Brown ranks third in the NBA in total drives. He gets fouled on 8.9 percent of those treks, which would suggest an expected output of 4.8 shooting fouls off those drives against San Antonio and Denver.
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Brown’s free-throw attempts, which climbed to a season-high 8.7 per game in December, are down to 5.8 per game in January. The Celtics as a team rank 30th in the NBA in both free throw attempt rate and free throw attempts per game (18.9). They rank 27th in the NBA while drawing fouls on 6.3 percent of all their drives this season.
Given Boston’s shot profile, which leans heavily 3-pointers and long mid-range jumpers, it’s not surprising that the Celtics don’t draw as many fouls as some teams. But Brown has been demonstrative toward officials on multiple occasions when he believes opponents have dislodged him on drives to the basket.
The Nuggets and Spurs have physical, handsy defenses that might get a bit more leeway from officials given their consistency aggressive playstyle. But the 20-4 free-throw disparity in favor of the Spurs on Saturday night was impossible to ignore.
“Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy,” said Brown. “I’ll take the f—ing fine. [Official] Curtis [Blair and] all them dudes was terrible tonight. I don’t care. They can fine me whatever they want. But it’s crazy. Every time we play a good team, it’s the same bulls—.”
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Brown admitted free throws weren’t the entire story of the game and fretted his own uneven play in the fourth quarter. He went 1 for 9 in the frame and missed a wide-open 3-pointer in a 2-point game with 1:19 to play. He turned the ball over soon after, and the Spurs cashed in with a bucket that essentially sealed the game. Two of Brown’s five turnovers came in the final quarter.
Brown also acknowledged that the Celtics have to be better at defending without fouling on the other end. But the overall disparity and what Brown perceived as a more firm whistle against the Celtics left him fuming.
“Zero free throws tonight,” said Brown. “The inconsistency is f—ing crazy. Give me the fine.”
After a smaller rant after Boston’s loss to Denver on Wednesday, Brown got a favorable whistle during the Celtics’ win over Toronto on Friday. That whistle evaporated the next night.
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The question now is whether officials will be more likely to give Brown calls after he went so far as to name-check an official as part of his frustration on Saturday night.
