TITLE: Jaylen Brown Alleges Officiating Bias, Says Joel Embiid’s Flopping “Ruined Our Game”
SLUG: jaylen-brown-criticizes-officiating-embiid-flopping
CONTENT:
Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said NBA officials “had an agenda” against him during the team’s seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, adding that Joel Embiid’s flopping “ruined our game.” Brown made the comments Sunday night on his personal Twitch stream, five days after Boston was eliminated.
“If Jaylen does this move, call the offensive foul and follow him every time,” Brown said while replaying clips from the series. “I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been critical of them, but that’s exactly what they did.”
The 27-year-old pointed to one sequence in which 76ers forward Paul George appeared to extend an arm before driving. “Everybody does it,” Brown argued. “But if it would have been me, it’d have been an offensive foul.”
Brown finished the series with 10 offensive fouls—twice as many as any other player in the opening round (Jalen Duren, Karl-Anthony Towns, Neemias Queta and Stephon Castle each had five). During the regular season, he ranked second league-wide with 40 such calls; Towns led the NBA with 65.
While highlighting Embiid’s ability to draw whistles, Brown still praised the reigning MVP candidate. “Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in basketball history,” he said. “But he flops. He knows it.”
The Celtics were whistled for 136 personal fouls in the series; the 76ers received 132. Brown claimed specific referees “need to be investigated,” noting that three officials he criticized worked each of the final three games.
Source: ESPN
