![\"BOSTON,](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2274219105.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\nBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 02: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during introductions prior to a game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at TD Garden on May 02, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
Brown led the playoffs with 10 offensive fouls, twice as many as the league\u2019s runner-up (Jalen Duren, Karl-Anthony Towns, Neemias Queta, Stephon Castle).<\/p>\n
\u201cI was complaining about officiating, rightfully so,\u201d Brown said. \u201cBecause our team finished dead last in getting calls. I was vocal about it, I got thrown out some games, etc. And they keep saying it\u2019s a push off and stuff like that. You know how many players do that? That\u2019s a common basketball play. Every player does it, so why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda. Maybe because I spoke and was critical of the refs in the regular season.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the regular season, Brown was called for 40 offensive fouls, second to Towns (65). He never held back, calling officials out \u2014 some by name \u2014 whenever Brown felt he or the Celtics weren\u2019t held to the same standard as opposing teams across the league. Brown also claimed during his stream, with confidence, that officials had an \u201cagenda\u201d to push, linking it to the offensive foul total.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve actually spoke to some refs, and they said it was an agenda going into each game. \u2018So anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it.\u2019 Like, Paul George does that same thing. Jaylen Brunson does the same thing. Sh*t, I can go down the list. It\u2019s a basketball play, whether y\u2019all believe it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown pointed to a play with 3:23 left in the third quarter, when George extended his right arm to create space from Sam Hauser and drilled a step-back 3, putting the Sixers ahead 79-66.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a foul on me, but it\u2019s a good play on him. Why you think that is? I\u2019ll let y\u2019all fill in the blank. We got the same trainer.\u201d<\/p>\n
For what it\u2019s worth, NBA referee Tyler Ford was selected for Game 7 between Boston and Philadelphia, over a month after an encounter with Brown during a March 10 game against the San Antonio Spurs led to Brown\u2019s ejection by referee Suyash Mehta.<\/p>\n
Brown doubled down on his claim that Sixers star Joel Embiid, while dominant in the series, flopped to get to the free-throw line.<\/p>\n
\u201cCredit to the 76ers, credit to Joel Embiid. I still think he flopped entirely way too much,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSome of y\u2019all don\u2019t even know what flopping is. Like, some of y\u2019all clearly don\u2019t know basketball. You don\u2019t know what flopping is. Flopping is exaggerating contact that\u2019s already there. It\u2019s not about drawing contact or drawing fouls. Nobody has a problem with drawing fouls. That\u2019s a part of the game. Use your brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Embiid attempted 37 free throws after returning in Game 4. Defending him became one of the biggest issues for the Celtics during the series, as coach Joe Mazzulla experimented with nearly everything to slow the 7-footer down. Boston turned to Neemias Queta, Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107, and Luka Garza during Games 4 through 6 before giving Brown a chance in Game 7.<\/p>\n
Brown said Embiid routinely exaggerated contact, insisting it\u2019s an epidemic affecting the NBA.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like when someone barely touched you, and you selling the call to make it seem like you just got shot by two police officers. Big difference. Whether you like it, don\u2019t like it, your grandma like it, your grandma don\u2019t like it. I don\u2019t really care. That\u2019s just my personal opinion on basketball. Some of y\u2019all might disagree. Argue with your grandma. Flopping has ruined our game. Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in f**king basketball history. He flops. He knows it. This ain\u2019t breaking news.\u201d<\/p>\n
Embiid shot 83.8 percent from the charity stripe against Boston.<\/p>\n
Fourth-quarter pass to Payton Pritchard \u2014 with Neemias Queta wide open<\/p>\n
In the fourth quarter, with under three minutes remaining, Brown and the Celtics had a chance to take the lead. Pushing in transition, Brown passed up Queta wide open under the basket and instead kicked it to Payton Pritchard in the corner instead.<\/p>\n
Pritchard missed the critical 3-pointer, but Brown insisted it was the right decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people would\u2019ve rather me went to Neemi to get the two because the 3-pointers wasn\u2019t going in,\u201d Brown said, \u201cbut all season long I\u2019ve been going to Payton Pritchard in the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
At that point, Boston was in dire need of offense. The Celtics missed 11 of their 12 final shot attempts, including 10 straight, and shot 26.5 percent from three in Game 7 \u2014 and 33.7 percent for the series.<\/p>\n
Brown was money from the mid-range in Game 7, leading many to wonder why he turned to Pritchard with Queta feet ahead of Embiid. He thought about it and admitted perhaps he could\u2019ve assisted Queta instead, but remained adamant that going to Pritchard was the right decision, claiming he\u2019d do it again \u201c10 times out of 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I could\u2019ve thrown it to Neemi, for sure. Maybe Embiid could\u2019ve maybe blocked him on the back side, maybe not. But all season long, Payton Pritchard has been that motherf**ker for us \u2014 and he still is that motherf**ker for us. So I\u2019m doing that 10 times out of 10. Y\u2019all can go back and keep questioning my playmaking ability or whatever, but I feel like that\u2019s what my gut was telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"BOSTON,](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2273731658.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\nBOSTON, MA – MAY 2: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics talk after the game during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Brown took a moment to give the Sixers their flowers, clarifying that Philadelphia\u2019s series win was rightfully theirs.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, the season didn\u2019t end the way we want but you gotta take it on the chin,\u201d Brown said. \u201cGive credit where credit is due. So I don\u2019t want to make it seem like I\u2019m not giving them their props\u2026 I think (Tyrese) Maxey and (V.J.) Edgecombe are the future. Embiid is a hell of a player. George played incredibly well for their group, and that helped them win the series. They got better. Nick Nurse is a championship-level coach. I give my respect to Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n
It had been 44 years since the last time the Sixers eliminated the Celtics in the postseason. Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey joked after Game 7 that he wasn\u2019t even born when asked if he understood the gravity of what Philadelphia had pulled off in Boston.<\/p>\n
Brown reiterated his final assessment of the season, labeling it \u201cgreat\u201d all things considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat season,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud of our group. Once again, I\u2019ve been on championship teams, I\u2019ve been on teams going to the Finals. Honestly, this was the most fun season I\u2019ve ever had in basketball, personally. The uncertainty of going into the season, the uncertainty of going into every game \u2014 having to fight for every game \u2014 just did something emotionally, I feel like, for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Celtics took their circumstance of missing Jayson Tatum for the first 62 games before welcoming him back. They welcomed aboard a handful of newcomers, rookies, and returning players with minimal experience contributing to the team. Still, they made it work for a regular season that\u2019s already secured Mazzulla\u2019s sincere consideration for the NBA\u2019s Coach of the Year award.<\/p>\n
As Brown noted, Boston could\u2019ve used Tatum\u2019s injury as a reason to tank \u2014 and nobody would blame them. The organization shed payroll and parted ways with Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet as a result. They utilized everyone on the roster, developed a handful of reserves, and showed promise heading into next season despite their catastrophic postseason exit.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people wanted us to tank. Most people still probably wanted us to tank because of the way the season turned out, but you never know how a season is gonna go. All you can ask from the players is give it your all, and that\u2019s what this group did.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown had a lot to get off his chest. Less than 24 hours after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":726149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,3798,46,21388,6],"class_list":["post-726148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boston-celtics","tag-basketball","tag-boston","tag-boston-celtics","tag-bostonceltics","tag-celtics","tag-celtics-news","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116520943659921828","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=726148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/726148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=726148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=726148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=726148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}