Jaylen Brown’s altercation with the referees during the Celtics’ game against the Spurs on Tuesday got him ejected, and to make matters worse, they lost. Jayson Tatum, just back from a long-term injury, didn’t have what it took to carry them over the line against a red-hot San Antonio team, and post-game, he, like Brown, took a shot at the officials.
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Brown was the first to call officiating out. Even before the game ended, he took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “This the sh*t I be talking about.”
Tatum joined in after the final buzzer blew, but did not take to any social platform. He blasted the decision to eject Brown in an interview, and even hinted that the referees were impulsive.
“National TV game, two of the best teams in the league and you make a big deal about stars playing,” he began. “You get trigger happy to throw somebody out the game. I disagree with it.”
Jayson Tatum on Jaylen Brown being ejected:
“National TV game, two of the best teams in the league and you make a big deal about stars playing and you get trigger happy to throw somebody out the game. I disagree with it.”pic.twitter.com/Av9CH2Oc9A
— jb (@lockedupjb) March 11, 2026
The issue between the official in question, Tyler Ford, and Brown originated late in the second quarter, when Stephon Castle put an arm on his waist to stop his drive to the right. Brown made the most of it, falling out of bounds, possibly in search for a foul.
Ford, however, did not blow the whistle, and Brown was livid. He got a technical, which further irked the Celtics guard, ultimately resulting in a second tech, which sealed the fate.
Post-game, like refs do, Ford explained his decisions in a report. When asked why he handed out the first technical foul, he answered, “For aggressively pointing and using profanity and resentment to the no call.” About the second, that led to his ejection, Ford said, “He aggressively approached a game official while pointing and using profanity.”
Referee Tyler Ford’s comments on the Jaylen Brown ejection pic.twitter.com/dhXONiyHVb
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) March 11, 2026
Ford further insisted that he did not see any illegal play on Castle, that Brown was so irate about in the first place. So, he felt his calls were justified.
The Celtics, however, wouldn’t appreciate what happened in the game, or Ford’s comments after it ended. Maybe not directly, but Brown’s absence for two whole quarters cost the Celtics, who didn’t have an answer to Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman scored 39, to take his team to five wins in a row.
It’s not the end of the world for Boston meanwhile, who still have a firm grasp on the #2 spot in the East.
