The Boston Celtics had never blown a 3-1 lead in franchise history. And Jaylen Brown feels the tide of the series against the Philadelphia 76ers changed because of one key factor. Right after Game 7, Brown had vehemently criticized officials for rewarding Joel Embiid’s ‘flopping’. But it appears he held back a lot for his livestream after getting eliminated, and his accusatory comments can still trigger a massive fine even though he hasn’t said it in a postgame interview.

Brown finished Game 7 with a team-high 33 points. But he had missed four consecutive shots in the last five minutes when his team was trying to shorten its deficit. That wasn’t his only cold phase. It was a trend since Embiid returned. Brown was a -19 on the floor in Games 5, 6, and 7, and his team was outscored by 57 points with him on the floor in the same stretch. After the final loss, JB went live on Twitch. He wasted no time in taking a dig at the refs, instead of critiquing his own game. Brown spoke out against an “agenda” being built against him, in which officials need only one trigger to call him for an offensive foul.

“Why are you targeting me? Brown shared. “They clearly had an agenda, maybe because I spoke so critically of them in the regular season. So, you know how they responded. You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls… and I actually spoke to some refs, and they said there was an agenda going into each game. Like anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, call it.”

That one play followed Brown around like a ghost. Anytime he tried to create separation with a little shove, the officials didn’t let it slide. It got to the Celtics talisman so much that he analyzed a play from Game 7 where Paul George performed the same maneuver and hit a triple. “Do you know how many players do that? That’s the common play, a basketball play,” Brown said about the push off.

The Celtics guard’s frustrations weren’t just incidental to losing Game 7 and giving up a 3-1 lead. Brown led the playoffs in offensive fouls, averaging 1.43 per game. Those tied for second place have twice as few offensive fouls as Brown. And the push off is indeed a common move used by most players going around. Cade Cunningham did it tonight, and so did other guards. Now, by NBA rules, it warrants an offensive foul…

But if that’s the case, Brown is asking that it become a universal practice. Right now, it seems like he is the poster boy for what not to do as an offensive player. The Celtics star was fined $35,000 as recently as January this year after his two-minute expletive rant. “It’s like they refuse to make a call, then call touch fouls on the other end,” Brown said, openly clarifying that he was ready to accept a fine. Indeed, he was penalized, and the fines continue to be handed out to those who are critical of the league. Devin Booker’s bank account took a hit recently after he questioned the NBA’s integrity and called out bias towards OKC.

This time’s fine, though, could be larger than the previous one because the league does take repeat offenders into account with heavier punishment. Brown could also miss a few games before he starts next season, following critical comments made on a livestream that has since been deleted. Obviously, getting thrown out in the first playoff round is going to sting. And it came out in full force during his rant. Weirdly, though, there appears to be an internal misalignment in Boston.

Boston’s party-pooper, Joel Embiid, faces contrary views from two Celtics individuals

Jaylen Brown was in some kind of mood during his Twitch stream. He even used the ‘F’ word when speaking about Joel Embiid. The Celt openly criticized the 76ers’ star for ‘flopping,’ even going so far as to say it’s ruining basketball. However, if you ask his head coach, Embiid was the difference-maker! “What changed in the series was Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team. That’s what changed,” said Joe Mazzulla.

The Process, even though he limped several times and had to be stretched out at the bench, was relentless in the four games he played against the Celtics. Embiid certainly swung the game with his versatile scoring. In Game 7, that looked like 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, with a +11 net differential. The former MVP stood as the outlier in a series that didn’t always have consistent offense.

Embiid manufactured that for himself. He scored 25 or more three times in four games. His playmaking was crucial, passing out of trouble like he never saw multiple bodies in front of him. From the series perspective, Embiid’s introduction and the subsequent injury to Jayson Tatum carved a dent in the Celtics’ aspirations. However, Brown has the right to be frustrated with how he was treated by the officials during the series, especially after the MVP-esque campaign he had.