Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens deflected when he was asked. Jayson Tatum took responsibility for the miscue, expressing that it was his fault.
But Jaylen Brown seemingly had a message for Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse in what some could view as gamesmanship, or others see as lack of sportsmanship.
The specific play Brown is referencing was far before the Celtics and Raptors exchanged pleasantries after Boston fell 125-122 in double overtime Wednesday night. This play was in the fourth quarter with 44 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 98-all.
With Tatum dribbling to his left, the Celtics forward threw a pass to where he thought center Daniel Theis was. Instead, it was Nurse standing on the baseline, far beyond where a head coach typically is standing.
You can watch the play below, courtesy of Forbes’ Chris Grenham:
During his postgame media availability, Brown was asked about what happened after the final whistle. And while he said that was established due to emotion, he seemingly took a shot at Nurse and the Raptors coaching staff.
“A lot of emotions, things like that swirling, etc. I ain’t going to really speak on it too much,” Brown said. “But, you know, there’s a lot of emotions, it’s an intense series so things like that tend to happen. There’s a lot of testosterone, etc. Ain’t nothing to worry about, we got to be ready to fight.
“That’s a respectable organization, I would expect them to act accordingly, etc. Things seem to get out of hands at times, from coaching staffs, etc. Let’s keep it under control, let’s keep playing basketball and continue to fight,” Brown continued.
Brown then was asked a follow up about the specific Tatum play.
“You know, like I said before, I think there’s a lot of emotions. It’s very intense and things like that. And sometimes things seem to go overboard at times,” Brown said. “Let’s keep it in check. Let’s keep it respectable. And let’s keep playing basketball. Grown men should be able to control themselves, especially on the coaching staff. So, let’s continue to do what we got to do to play basketball, let’s continue to fight.”
The Celtics weren’t necessarily impacted by the play as Toronto’s Pascal Siakam missed a shot from the field on the ensuing Raptors possession.
Perhaps this will add even more notoriety to an already intense Game 7 atmosphere. Tip off is scheduled for Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
