Jaylen Brown Claims Officials Had “An Agenda” In Series With Sixers
Speaking Sunday on his Twitch stream, Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused officials of having “an agenda” against him during the first-round loss to Philadelphia, ESPN relays. He also called out Sixers center Joel Embiid for flopping, saying it has “ruined our game.”
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He know it,” Brown said. “This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”
At one point during his comments, Brown showed a video of Philadelphia forward Paul George seeming to push off slightly before making a move. Brown, who was whistled for 10 offensive fouls during the series – twice as many as any other player in the first round – claims he isn’t officiated the same as everyone else.
“If you’re going to call push-offs, call that,” Brown said. “Same move. Same refs. Oh, it’s nothing? It’s play on, right? But you gonna call me? Everybody does it … but if it would have been me, it’d have been an offensive foul.”
The story notes that Brown was called for 40 offensive fouls during the regular season, second only to Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns. However, foul calls were roughly even during the seven-game series, with 136 on the Celtics and 132 on the Sixers.
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game during the series, the best postseason scoring numbers of his career, while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 40.5% from beyond the arc. He was whistled for 3.0 fouls per game.
“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown added in reference to George’s alleged push-off. “If Jaylen does this move, call the offensive foul and follow him every time. I don’t know if it’s because I p—– the refs off. I’ve been critical about them, and I called them out a bunch of times. So, they were like, ‘You know what, I got you in the playoffs. Watch this.’ [Because] that’s exactly what they did. It’s clearly an agenda. Look at the same move. Some referees that if I had to choose, if I had to, like, say there’s some referees that need to be investigated. We had three of them in the last three games.”
Brown battled with referees several times throughout the season, notes Souichi Terada of MassLive. He stated in November that he was unhappy with their calls in general, then specifically called out Curtis Blair after a January 11 loss to San Antonio, saying the crew was “terrible.” Brown also blasted the officiating after being ejected from a March 10 rematch with the Spurs for complaining about a no-call. He was fined $35K for his comments on Blair.
Knicks Notes: Hart, Clarkson, Alvarado, Towns
The Knicks‘ series against Atlanta turned around after Josh Hart demanded to be given the full-time defensive assignment on CJ McCollum, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post writes in a subscriber-only piece. After McCollum hit a game-winning shot to give the Hawks a 2-1 series lead, Hart made sure the coaching staff understood his intentions.
“I cursed out one of our defensive [coaches] for taking me off him at the end of Game 3,” said Hart, who also walked into the coaches’ room at halftime of Game 4 to make sure it didn’t happen again. “I said, ‘I’m on him. Don’t take me off him. I’m guarding him. And that was the challenge I wanted.”
The difference was stark, Bondy notes, as McCollum averaged 27 points per game in the first three games of the series while shooting 51% from the field and 39% on three-pointers. Over the final three games, he was limited to 11.3 PPG while his shooting dropped to 39.5% from the field and 10% from beyond the arc. He averaged 3.3 turnovers in that span and only 1.3 assists.
“At a certain point, it’s just pride,” Hart said. “It’s wanting to obviously try to stop him, to limit him. Games 1 and 2, he had (about) 30 (per game). It was just a pride thing. Go out there and get stops.”
There’s more from New York:
- The additions of Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado have given the Knicks more depth than they’ve had in recent seasons, notes Howie Kussoy of The New York Post. That backcourt duo has teamed with Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride to provide a reliable second unit that takes some of the stress off the starters. Clarkson and Alvarado both fell out of coach Mike Brown’s rotation late in the season, but they’ve reemerged since the playoffs began. “[Being out of the rotation is] definitely challenging, but I’ve been in the league for 12 years. I know how it goes,” Clarkson said. “Just continue to stay ready. There’s a locker room of young guys and other people, watching me and seeing how I react to those things. Set an example for them. Continue to stay locked in. … Just wait for my opportunity to go out there and play. Everybody setting that example and having everybody ready is big for the team.”
- The first-round series featured Karl-Anthony Towns‘ best sustained performance since Brown took over as head coach, observes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. There were season-long concerns about whether Towns could adjust to Brown’s system, but he was dominant against Atlanta, posting a combined plus-62 rating over the final three games of the series. “I never doubted my ability,” Towns said. “I never doubted the work I put in. It’s just – you gotta adjust, you gotta adjust. Especially (with) a lot of new things being thrown at you, you’re being asked to do a lot more things – some things that (haven’t) consistently been asked of me in my career. It’s one thing anyone who knows me, who’s followed my career, I’m willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes for the team to win.”
- James L. Edwards of The Athletic considers whether the Knicks are now in the best position of anybody to win the East.
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Alvarado
A change in strategy by the Hawks set up Jalen Brunson for his best performance of the series in Tuesday’s Game 5, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN. Coach Quin Snyder opted to switch Dyson Daniels onto Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted a triple-double on Sunday. That gave Brunson more freedom to operate, and he responded with 39 points while shooting 15-of-23 from the field as the Knicks cruised to a 29-point win.
“It’s like a chess match,” Brunson said. “If someone makes a move, you’ve got to make another move. You’ve got to wait to see what they do. The way we play, we’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Atlanta posted a pair of one-point victories in Games 2 and 3 to take the lead in the series, but New York has been dominant since then, holding the Hawks to 42.7% from the field and 27.7% from three-point range in the last two outings. CJ McCollum, who looked like the star of the series early on, was limited to six points on Tuesday.
“It’s been a multitude of things. We picked it up as a unit,” Brunson of the Knicks’ defense. “They’ve also gotten a lot of looks. and we were lucky they were missing. I think us being on the same page, both sides of the ball, was a factor.”
There’s more from New York:
- The defensive adjustment didn’t seem to bother Towns, who finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the Knicks ran their offense through him most of the night, observes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Towns was able to overpower Daniels in the paint and use his size advantage to get the ball to open teammates. “I feel like passing’s been my thing since I came into the league. Sometimes the scoring gets more noticed than the passing,” Towns said. “But I’m glad I have the opportunity to show what I can do, passing-wise. I’ve just got to continue to stay disciplined, continue to make the right play, regardless if it’s the scoring play or the hockey assist.”
- OG Anunoby may be New York’s best player throughout the series, Braziller adds in a separate story. Anunoby turned in another great game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a plus-19 rating, and his teammates are recognizing the contribution he’s making every night. “He’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA,” Towns said. “This series has been great for him to show the world on a big stage something that we always thought he was. When you have someone like that who is that good offensively and even better defensively, weirdly enough, it’s special. I believe he’s going to be First Team All-Defense, and he deserves it.”
- After not playing in the series opener, Jose Alvarado has worked his way back into the rotation, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. He came off the bench to score 12 points in 12 minutes in Game 5 and helped the Knicks pull away early in the second quarter. Schwartz notes that Alvarado’s latest chance came after guards Landry Shamet and Miles McBride struggled earlier in the series.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Hart, Brunson, McBride
The Knicks struggled to put four straight quarters of high-level offense together in Games 2 and 3 of their series against the Hawks. In Game 4, they turned to Karl-Anthony Towns as the lead man, and it may have saved their season, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. The Knicks have had issues getting the talented center involved at times, but they made a clear effort to do so on Saturday.
The six-time All-Star had his first playoff triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. His passing from the top of the key opened up the game for the Knicks, as did the off-ball play designs from head coach Mike Brown, which got players like OG Anunoby shot after shot inside, most of which were courtesy of Towns.
“[Towns] is a special talent. He can do it all. And I know if I get open, he’ll find me,” Anunoby said after the game, per Winfield. “No matter how tight the window is, he’ll be able to find it. It’s amazing playing with a player like him.”
Brown said that the decision to play through Towns was a result of being willing to adjust quickly, given the magnitude of the game, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“We just switched our early offense,” Brown said. “So with us switching our early offense up the way we did, the ball went to his hands quite a bit.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- Josh Hart is best known for his rebounding and hustle plays, but it’s his defensive versatility that has allowed New York to come back and tie their first-round series with the Hawks, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. Hart split his time guarding CJ McCollum, who has been picking apart the Knicks’ defense for much of the series, and Jalen Johnson. He was similarly effective on both players, and his intensity helped set the tone for New York’s perimeter defense, which held the Hawks to 24.4% shooting from deep and converted 19 Atlanta turnovers into 21 points. “Josh was really good on the ball,” Brown said. “Josh is a guy with quick feet, he’s strong and when he gets locked in, he’s locked in. His defensive activity, especially when he [pressures the ball], was fabulous [Saturday night]. Really, really good. And we needed all of it.”
- Another crucial part of the Knicks’ victory was finding a way to keep Jalen Brunson from being a target on defense. On Saturday, Brown was able to do that, Winfield writes. “We mix it up so Jalen is not always on [the ball-handler],” Brown said pregame. “When he is, we got to make sure we continue to mix up our defensive coverages.” Brunson also waved away concerns over the visible disagreement he had with his father, assistant coach Rick Brunson, simply saying, “That was two competitors,” per Schwartz.
- It’s been an inconsistent start to the playoffs for Miles McBride, who is still less than three months removed from undergoing sports hernia surgery. McBride has had some positive moments, especially late in games, but has made just one two-pointer and has yet to attempt a free throw. He’s not making excuses about his injury though, Bondy writes. “I expect a lot out of myself, more than anybody else, honestly. And I try not to listen to how I’m feeling day to day,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter; if I’m supposed to get a stop, I gotta get a stop. If I’m supposed to make a shot, I gotta make a shot. So I try not to think about it. Reality is, I’ve gotta go out there and perform.”
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Robinson, Shamet
Much of the discussion following the Knicks‘ loss to the Hawks in Game 2 revolved around coach Mike Brown‘s decisions regarding lineups and timeout usage. Asked ahead of Game 3 whether he’ll stick with his usual substitution patterns, Brown says he’s open to tweaking his rotation, Andrew Crane writes for the New York Post.
“Anything’s open to discussion offensively, defensively,” Brown said. “Maybe changing this defensively. Maybe changing that offensively. I’m comfortable with all of our guys playing, no matter who the five is out there.”
The Knicks’ players themselves say they’re fully confident in Brown’s adjustments, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, noting that it’s up to them to execute the game plan their coach lays out for them. Playing with pace and physicality are two points of emphasis among the coaching staff and the players.
“We [have to] get the ball faster, run on makes and misses,” said Jalen Brunson. “Just be who we are and don’t let things are not that important in this moment — it shouldn’t mean we’re not doing the things that we’re supposed to be doing.”
We have more Knicks notes:
- Karl-Anthony Towns took 12 shots in Game 2 and only two in the fourth quarter as the lead the Knicks had built slipped away. In a feature story for ESPN, Vincent Goodwill outlines how Brown and the coaching staff have struggled all season to maximize the star big man on offense but observes that it hasn’t impacted Towns’ desire to continue being a Knick. “He so badly wants things to work here,” a source close to Towns tells ESPN. “He wants to be a Knick for life.”
- Mitchell Robinson isn’t angry about the Hawks employing intentional fouls as a way to force him off the floor. He views it as a sign of respect, Winfield writes. “I mean, yeah, I feel like they want to get me off the court, so I know I’m threatening they ass and it be like that,” Robinson said. Despite being just 2-for-6 from the line through two games, Robinson believes that the work he puts in to practice his free throws will pay off in the end. “Sometimes, it go in; sometimes, it don’t,” he said. “Confidence still high, so still ready to go.” Brown is trying to figure out how to get the defensive-minded center more minutes, but he says it’s been difficult because the two-big lineups with Towns haven’t been effective so far this series, Ian Begley of SNY notes (via Twitter).
- The Knicks have praised Landry Shamet‘s plug-and-play ability all year, but he hit a rough patch towards the end of the season and hasn’t found a way to break out of it so far in the playoffs, Jared Schwartz writes for the New York Post. Shamet shot just 1-for-7 from the field over the first two games of the series, with six of those seven attempts from beyond the arc. The Knicks have struggled to find a stable ball-handler off the bench, as both Shamet and Miles McBride are more comfortable off the ball and have difficulty breaking down defenses off the dribble. Those two were supposed to be New York’s top guard depth, but neither has been able to get going, forcing Brown to turn to Jose Alvarado instead as a source of energy and ball-handling.
Knicks Notes: Game 2 Collapse, Towns, Alvarado, Robinson, More
Karl-Anthony Towns was the Knicks‘ second-leading scorer in Game 2 of their first-round series against Atlanta, with 18 points, but he was essentially a non-factor during the fourth quarter of their 107-106 loss, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes.
Towns attempted just two shots during those 12 minutes as the Knicks squandered a 12-point lead. He scored 25 points and dished out four assists in the Game 1 victory.
“The opportunity just didn’t come around shooting,” he said after Monday’s loss. “But at the end of the day, I trust everybody in this locker room to shoot the ball. The opportunities weren’t available for me in the fourth and it was fine.”
Jalen Brunson dominated the ball during much of that final quarter as New York scored just 15 points and shot 22.7% from the floor.
“We could’ve flowed better, for sure. We could’ve done that,” Towns said. “But at the end of the day, I have to watch the tape. When you’re so into the game, it’s hard to give a great assessment about it.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Jose Alvarado was a bright spot in the loss, according to Braziller. The reserve guard provided three assists, two rebounds and pesky defense in his nine-minute stint. Mitchell Robinson‘s performance was also a positive, in Braziller’s view. The big man notched 13 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block in 18 minutes.
- Lay the blame for the late collapse on coach Mike Brown, Brunson and OG Anunoby, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines. Brown mismanaged his timeouts, Brunson got lit up by CJ McCollum and Anunoby committed a crucial turnover and missed two late free throws.
- James Edwards III of The Athletic blames the loss largely on Brown, not only for the timeout issues but for his rotations. Brunson and Towns were both on the bench when the fourth quarter started and Atlanta made its run. Brown stood by that decision. “We’ve played that lineup quite a bit at the end of the season,” Brown said. “That lineup’s been pretty good. We weren’t good tonight and we turned the ball over a few too many times during that period. But we had opportunities where our starters were in, and we were up eight to 10 [points] and Atlanta closed it. So I wouldn’t just say that specific lineup caused it.”
Knicks/Hawks Notes: Robinson, Anunoby, Okongwu, Gueye
The Hawks attempted to take Mitchell Robinson out of the equation for the Knicks in Game 1 by employing Hack-A-Mitch, intentionally fouling him to send him to the free throw line. After going 1-for-4 from the line, Robinson was pulled from the game after 15 minutes without having recorded a single offensive rebound.
Discussing how he will approach Robinson’s minutes in Monday’s Game 2, Knicks coach Mike Brown said that the team wasn’t overreacting to the strategy.
“We’ll probably just use a normal rotation, and at the end of the day, he’s gonna get an opportunity, and we’re confident that he’ll knock ’em down,” Brown said. “If we need to make a change, we feel confident with Josh [Hart] going and playing the center. Especially the way we’re playing, it allows us to switch the pick and roll and all that other stuff, so we’re okay with them fouling Mitch if that’s what they want to do.”
Robinson’s rim protection and ability to generate extra possessions on the offensive glass have been a huge part of the Knicks’ success over the last few years.
Brown adds that in some ways, the intentional fouling strategy can work in New York’s favor.
“If they want to start fouling him, that’ll get us closer to the bonus, and so that’s the time for us to go back to him,” he said, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
The Knicks had 30 free throw attempts against 19 for the Hawks in Game 1, some of which had to do with Atlanta putting itself into the bonus to send Robinson to the line.
We have more from the Knicks/Hawks series:
- OG Anunoby is available to play for the Knicks on Monday, James L. Edwards III notes (via Twitter). The 6’8″ wing, who came in 10th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, was a crucial part of New York’s Game 1 victory, scoring 18 points in 38 minutes despite missing some time in the second half after twisting his ankle.
- Onyeka Okongwu is available for the Hawks, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (Twitter link), after previously being listed as questionable due to knee inflammation. Okongwu was productive in his 37 minutes in Game 1, scoring 19 points and hitting four of his six three-pointers. His presence is a welcome sight for the Hawks, who are thin at the center position as a result of Jock Landale‘s ankle injury.
- Due to the Hawks‘ aforementioned frontcourt depth – or lack thereof – the team turned to Mouhamed Gueye as their primary backup center behind Okongwu in Game 1, and he managed to hold his own, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While Gueye didn’t put up impressive box score numbers, he didn’t allow Karl-Anthony Towns to bully him down low. With Okongwu dealing with knee inflammation, the Hawks may need Gueye to play more than the 10.5 minutes he saw on Saturday, Williams observes.
Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Towns, Robinson, Hart
Knicks wing OG Anunoby (left ankle sprain) is probable to play in Game 2 against the Hawks on Monday, New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reports (via Twitter). According to head coach Mike Brown, the two-way wing went through practice on Sunday.
Anunoby left Game 1 in the second half after aggravating a preexisting ankle injury but was able to return to play. He finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds while playing 38 minutes in the win.
“He came over to the bench and asked me if I could do (the spiritual healing) for his ankle; then he sat over there for a second, came back in the game and finished the game,” said teammate Jordan Clarkson, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. “Like I said, we need him on the floor so whatever I gotta do to keep it going… sprinkle a little magic on him.”
Anunoby has proven himself worthy of the Knicks’ investment in him, and nights like Saturday illustrate why, according to Begley (Twitter video link).
We have more from the Knicks:
- Hawks head coach Quin Snyder called Karl-Anthony Towns a mismatch for his team’s big man rotation, Kristian Winfield writes for the New York Daily News. “It’s a little bit of pick your poison, you know,” Snyder said. “How do you handle him on the post with a mismatch? Do you just guard him? How do you handle pick and roll? How do you handle him and Brunson on pick a roll? I think for us to be prepared for all those situations, you can adjust every time down the court.” Onyeka Okongwu did a solid job of guarding Towns in the first half, despite giving up a good amount of size, but Towns eventually overwhelmed the team, which is thin at center after the loss of Jock Landale, finishing the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post called it “the full KAT experience.”
- While Snyder struggled to figure out how to contain Towns, his approach to containing Mitchell Robinson by resorting to Hack-A-Mitch limited the crucial reserve to just 15 minutes, Peter Sblendorio writes for the Daily News. Robinson went 1-for-4 from the free throw line, and, crucially, didn’t record an offensive rebound. Robinson played 60 games this season and failed to get on the offensive glass just twice.
- Despite heavily investing in defensive-minded wings, the Knicks relied on 6’4″ Josh Hart to take the primary defensive assignment on Hawks star Jalen Johnson in Game 1. Hart limited Johnson as effectively in Saturday’s win as he did during their final regular season matchup, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link). “One of the things Jalen is really good at is the pick-and-roll game and he does a great job rejecting screens and making it hard to anybody playing the pick-and-roll game,” Brown said. “So we just wanted to see if we can cause a little confusion. Just as much as putting Josh on Jalen, it’s OG on Okongwu … You’re not gonna stop those two guys, they’re gonna do what they do, but you hope to temper them a little bit or at least have a chance to control it a little bit.”
Knicks Notes: Brown, Towns, Brunson, Robinson
Knicks owner James Dolan made it clear during a radio interview this winter what his expectations were for the postseason.
We want to get to the [NBA] Finals. And we should win the Finals,” Dolan said then. “This is sports and anything can happen. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely got to do.”
That postseason run begins today with Game 1 against Atlanta at Madison Square Garden. First-year coach Mike Brown is unfazed by the high bar raised by the owner, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.
“I don’t even think about the last part of the question,” Brown said. “Everybody in that locker room has a competitive spirit that I like, and I can say is unmatched. I love the group. We’re competing, not just for 53 wins; we’re competing, like everyone else is, to win it. … Our competitive spirit is there, and it’s not something that we take lightly.”
Karl-Anthony Towns knows the season will be looked upon as a failure if the Knicks don’t at least reach the Finals.
“It was great that we put ourselves in this position going into the playoffs,” Towns said. “At the end of the day, the regular season doesn’t mean anything if we don’t capitalize on this opportunity.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Speaking of Towns, he has a chance to define his legacy with the team in these playoffs, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Towns could be the key to the series against the Hawks, Schwartz notes, since Atlanta doesn’t match up well with Towns. Onyeka Okongwu is their biggest starter and is more of a natural power forward than center, giving Towns a size advantage. With Okongwu as his primary defender, Towns went 11-for-14 from the field — and 4-for-6 from three-point range — along with five assists this season. Overall, Towns averaged 28.5 points — his most against any opponent — in the two games he played against the Hawks this year.
- The Knicks’ front office has built the team around Jalen Brunson and now we will find out if that approach was sound, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post opines. Their free agent signings and blockbuster trades have all been done with the notion of Brunson being the player to finally lead them to the title that has eluded the franchise for over 50 seasons.
- Mitchell Robinson is healthy for this postseason run. He’ll have to deal with Hack-A-Mitch tactics, with the career 50.8 percent free throw shooter being intentionally fouled to exploit his biggest weakness. Brown says he has a plan for that strategy. “We’ve talked about it. We have different things in mind that we’ll do,” he said, per Bondy. “A lot of them will come down to time and score and feel. But we understand that’s what teams may want to do, especially if our offense is clicking at that point in time.”
LeBron James, Brandon Ingram Named Players Of Week
Lakers forward LeBron James and Raptors forward Brandon Ingram have been named Players of the Week for the week of April 6-12, according to the league (Twitter links).
The Western Conference winner, James averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest as the Lakers won three straight contests to close the season and clinch home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite playing without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. LeBron had back-to-back double-doubles on Thursday and Friday, putting up 26 points and 11 assists in Golden State and then 28 points and 12 assists vs. Phoenix.
Ingram averaged 25.5 points per game on 57.8 percent shooting from the field across four games as the Raptors went 3-1 to wrap up their season and clinched the No. 5 seed in the East. The veteran forward poured in a season-high 38 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists in Thursday’s victory over Miami.
It’s the first Player of the Week award of the season for either James or Ingram, though it’s the 70th time LeBron has won it over the course of his 23-year NBA career. Ingram has now earned the honor five times.
Deni Avdija (Trail Blazers), Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson (Rockets), and Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves) were the other nominees from the Western Conference, while Paolo Banchero (Magic), Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks) and Jalen Duren (Pistons) were also nominated in the East.