Celtics star Jaylen Brown felt like he had to evade two defenders before his game-sealing basket Monday night, but not as a result of a Cavaliers double-team.
Brown wasn't beaming with pride or joy after knocking down a dagger 3-pointer with a little over a minute to play in Boston's Game 4 win over Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Instead, he sternly jawed at an official and needed to be restrained by head coach Joe Mazzulla near the Celtics bench.
After Boston's 109-102 win, Brown explained why he was miffed at referee Tyler Ford.
"Tyler, the official who was running down the sideline, I don't think he was paying attention but he was like in the play," Brown told reporters, per MassLive. "As I'm lifting up, I got bumped into him first. I had to push him out the way to catch the ball to be able to knock down the shot. He was like an extra defender right there because he was in the way so that's why I was talking, telling him to get his ass out the way."
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Brown revealed Ford didn't know what he was talking about when he caught heat from the All-Star guard. Although the eighth-year pro was irked given the stage of the game, he acknowledged it probably became a "non-story" since the shot went in and the Celtics won.
The incident with Ford wasn't the only tense scene involving Brown on Monday night. Boston's franchise cornerstone also had a brief skirmish with Cavs sharpshooter Max Strus in the second quarter.
Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
