Jaylen Brown hasn't been on the best of terms with NBA officials of late.
The Boston Celtics star called out the officiating crew after last Thursday's loss to the Chicago Bulls for using their whistles as a "threat" when they issued him a technical foul. Following Monday's loss to the Magic in Orlando, Brown's gripe with the stripes related to what he viewed as some home team favoritism.
“Definitely a physical game,” Brown told reporters, as seen in the video above. “Credit to Orlando; we should have met the physicality a little bit better. I think it’s a good preparation game.
"Things weren’t going our way. We felt like the officials were one-sided. So, I think it was good for us. I think we need to see that more, get used to that more, get more comfortable with that level of environment. We’ll watch it and we’ll be better."
The Magic, who boast the Eastern Conference's best defensive rating, played ferocious defense Monday night without four of their top five scorers in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Mo Wagner and Gary Harris. They racked up 24 fouls to Boston's 16, but their physical play helped limit the Celtics to a season-low 104 points and an 8 for 33 output from 3-point range (24.2 percent).
Brown suggested the way the game was called helped Orlando lean into its physicality.
"They set the tone,” Brown said of the Magic. "They were allowed to use their hands, and the team that sets the tone often gets the game kind of called in their favor. I feel like we fouled them more than we liked. I was in foul trouble a little bit trying to use my physicality. They were allowed to be physical tonight and it had an effect on us in the second half."
Brown shouldered Boston's offensive load with Jayson Tatum a late scratch due to illness, racking up 35 points on 15 of 29 shooting. While that scoring output included four free throws on six attempts, Brown felt he could have gotten a few more calls -- including on a fourth-quarter layup attempt that was contested by Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr.
“It’s been like that,” Brown said. “For whatever reason they’ve kind of cut my whistle off where I’m not getting to the foul line as aggressive as I am. I’m not going to complain. It is what it is. Just have to adjust.
“Maybe right there I’ll just be more physical. But then again, they’ll call you for an offensive foul. So you’re just trying to figure it out. Used a lot of floaters today trying to adjust. But, I definitely thought (Carter) impeded my progress a few times and they got away with it in the fourth quarter.”
Brown and the Celtics won't get any sympathy from opponents as the reigning NBA champions. They should expect to see maximum effort from teams seeking a "signature win" against the C's, and they may not always get the calls as one of the league's best teams. But games like Monday night's are a great learning experience for Brown and his squad as they discover the level they need to sustain to get back to the NBA mountaintop.
The Celtics are back in action on Christmas Day against the Philadelphia 76ers at 5 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Boston's coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.
