Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown expressed frustration during his first comments since Tuesday’s ejection while playing the San Antonio Spurs. Following a tight loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Brown bemoaned players who try and “foul bait” to try and manipulate officials and get to the free-throw line.
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Brown, 29, said he doesn’t engage in the practice, which he believes is at odds with the way the game should be played, per ESPN.
“So it’s like, we commend players for playing the game the right way, but we give the benefit to those who necessarily are trying to manipulate the game into their advantage. I just don’t think it’s basketball. Let’s just play basketball. All the foul baiting, I think it’s whatever for me.”
Brown’s comments came after he was ejected from Tuesday’s game for arguing with officials over a no-call. During the contest, Brown believed he should have received a foul call after being knocked out of bounds with under four minutes to go in the second quarter. He received two technical fouls for arguing and was ejected from the contest. Brown wasn’t pleased about that, hopping on social media at halftime to express his displeasure with the way the game was called.
Brown’s displeasure also came moments after the Celtics’ narrow 104-102 loss to the Thunder on Thursday. The contest featured a record-setting performance by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive NBA games with at least 20 points scored.
Gilgeous-Alexander happens to be one of the name’s at the center of the “foul baiting” debate, with some arguing he searches for and exaggerates contact in order to get to the free-throw line. Gilgeous-Alexander ranks third in free-throw attempts per game with 9.2.
Brown did not specifically mention Gilgeous-Alexander following the Celtics’ loss.
That was probably a good thing. In this particular contest, Brown managed to get to the free-throw line more. He attempted 14 free throws during the game, making 13 of them. Gilgeous-Alexander got to the line eight times, making seven free throws.
While Brown said he might have to consider flopping more after Thursday’s game, he’s done pretty well for himself without employing the tactic this season. Through 59 games, Brown is averaging a career-high 28.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. He finds himself firmly in the discussion for league MVP … even without trying to get more foul calls to go his way.
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