BOSTON -- Jaylen Brown took issue with a play by Philadelphia 76ers then-sidelined forward Georges Niang, as well as the ensuing whistle that came from it by controversial NBA official Scott Foster. And Brown voiced just that after the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference finals following a Game 7 victory against the Sixers at TD Garden on Sunday.
Brown was issued a technical foul 5:10 into the second quarter after he got caught up in a skirmish with the 76ers bench. Brown had to be separated from the bench area by teammates with Foster the nearest official. After a video review, Niang also was issued a technical foul for his role in the incident, Brown indicating he had his leg pulled by Niang after he went into the bench area.
"I just think with the intensity of the game and emotions is flying around, I think he (Niang) just thought like maybe let me just try and grab him, slow (him) down a little bit," Brown said after the 112-88 victory. "I don't think Niang's a bad guy or anything, I work out with him in the offseason, I just think he just got caught up in intensity and made a play. And I responded to it. I don't know which way I should have responded to it, but if I didn't do anything they probably would have played on.
"And here comes Scott Foster, right away before even deciphering the situation, gives me a tech," Brown continued. "I definitely didn't want to get a tech in that situation. But somehow coming out all that commotion ended up being even. There was no advantage from that. ... And I think a play like that should have been a little bit more there. I don't think Niang was thinking when he did it, I don't think he's a bad guy, just caught up in the emotion of the game."
Brown and the Celtics went on to dominate the 76ers in the second half, outscoring Philadelphia 57-36 after the intermission. Brown finished with 25 points on 9-for-19 from the field in 41 minutes. Niang was limited to four minutes in the blowout.
