Boston Celtics
“He definitely earned the first one,” White said. “I thought the second one was [expletive], honestly.”
Jaylen Brown AP Photo/Eric Gay
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Victor Wembanyama shines, Jaylen Brown is ejected as Celtics drop chaotic loss to Spurs: 7 takeaways
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Joe Mazzulla referenced his high school principal while defending Jaylen Brown after ejection
Jaylen Brown didn’t even make it through halftime before he was ejected during the Celtics’ loss to San Antonio Tuesday night.
He was clearly frustrated with the situation. His teammates also took issue with the way things were handled. Jayson Tatum said he disagreed with the referee’s decision.
With injuries, load management, and other issues keeping stars out of games, the NBA has had to take steps to address how little certain players are playing. They’ve recently added a 65-game requirement for players to be eligible for postseason awards.
On Tuesday night, with Brown, Tatum, and Victor Wembanyama healthy, Brown ended up missing most of the game after yelling at an official over what he felt was a missed call.
“The NBA makes a big deal out of prime time games and stars playing and being available,” said teammate Jayson Tatum. “He definitely got pushed and the first tech was probably warranted. Emotions are high.
“But, the second tech, you’ve got to understand it’s a national TV game, two of the best teams in the league. If you make a big deal about stars playing then you’re trigger happy to throw someone out the game, I disagree with that.”
Brown has expressed frustration over a perceived lack of calls on previous occasions this season. After a loss to Spurs in January, at TD Garden, Brown said the situation was extremely frustrating. The league eventually fined him for his comments, some of which were vulgar.
Two months later, with the Celtics visiting the Spurs, the frustrations spilled over again. Similarly to Tatum, Derrick White said the initial technical foul call against Brown seemed justified.
However, the second one that resulted in Brown being thrown out of the game seemed like overkill to the Celtics guard.
“He definitely earned the first one,” White said. “I thought the second one was [expletive], honestly. It’s a national game, a high level game. You can’t throw out a guy that’s done so much for us all year in a game like this, especially joining in … that was ridiculous.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he supports Brown and the way he reacted to the call.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Brown hasn’t posted from his X account since his ejection. If the past is any indication of what’s to come, officials have not heard the last about the way they are calling games that Brown is involved in.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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