Jaylen Brown expressed frustration with the officiating in the Celtics’ loss to the Spurs while throwing shade at the Spurs’ defense.
SAN ANTONIO — Following the San Antonio Spurs‘ recent road win over the Boston Celtics, forward Jaylen Brown did not hold back his feelings about the game’s outcome, specifically the free-throw disparity.
Boston went to the free-throw line just four times, while the Spurs went 20 times. It marked the fewest foul shots the Spurs have ever allowed in team history, and Brown did not hold back on the refs.
“I feel like, honestly, they (Spurs) just got away with a lot, and I’m tired of the inconsistency,” Brown said in a postgame rant via John Karalis of the Boston Sports Journal. “I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some (expletive) tonight.”
Brown, who ended a game with zero free-throw attempts, did not stop at targeting the refs. He threw shade at the Spurs’ defense, saying that San Antonio is defensively good but not an incredible defensive team.
Said Brown: “I think they’re a good defensive team, but they ain’t that damn good.”
Perhaps that verbal swipe was just a product of his frustrations, but the Spurs’ defense has been more than just “good” this season.
San Antonio ranks third in the league with a Defensive Rating of 111.2, and first in Defensive Rebounding Percentage at 72.3%. Also, the Spurs rank second in the NBA in Opponent Second Chance Points, allowing 13.3, and in Opponent Fastbreak Points at 12.7.
In January, the Spurs led the NBA in Defensive Rating at 102.6, including holding the Celtics to under 100 points (95) in the team’s win. Throughout the season, San Antonio is one of the best teams at sending opponents to the free-throw line sparingly. Currently, they rank second in the NBA in Opponent Free Throw Attempts at 21.4.
As they say, stats don’t lie, and the numbers show the Spurs are more than just a “good” defensive team.
Former Spur Derrick White also sounds off on the refs
Ex-Spur Derrick White also did not take the loss to his former team well and joined Brown in thinking that the refs did not call the game fairly.
“We shoot the least amount of free throws in the league, so it’s not a surprise, I would say. But I think there’s just some calls that are bigger than others that sometimes get missed,” White said. “And obviously, the one at the end of the half, I was really frustrated about, which cost us two points.”
White had a great game against his former team, scoring 29 points and going to the free throw line twice, connecting on both shots.
The Spurs and Celtics will play once more this season on March 10 in San Antonio.