Jaylen Brown pays $25,000 fine but anti-flopping rant still resonate

Jaylen Brown was handed a $50,000 fine by the NBA on Tuesday following his heated criticism of officiating during a Twitch livestream on Sunday. His remarks came shortly after the Boston Celtics were knocked out in a 109-100 Game 7 defeat against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The fine ultimately added a bitter postscript to what was already a historic meltdown for Boston, as they became just the 14th team in league history to squander a 3-1 series lead. While Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady acknowledged Brown’s frustration, he offered a measured take on the situation.

“If you are in penalty and you get that call from the referees, I don't love it. I actually hate it. But if you can manipulate the game, why not? Use it to your advantage as part of it, right? Until you get called. And I think it was a little bit of frustration on JB's part, rightfully so. He has a right to feel that way. 

“If you watch some of the games and some of the calls that's been called on him versus what we see from other guys. So I stand with him on that. Do I agree with him going to do that right after the game? It's a different age, man. And how these guys communicate.”

As for Brown's rant, he claimed that officials were targeting him specifically on his drives to the basket. He also questioned the integrity of the officiating crew, saying there are some referees that need to be investigated. He accused Joel Embiid of "ruining the game" with flopping, but this was not the primary reason cited for the fine. 

This isn’t Brown’s first run-in with the league over such comments, as he was previously fined $35,000 in January after another outburst directed at officials following a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

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