The 5-game winning streak came to an abrupt end for the Boston Celtics in a blowout loss to the rivals New York Knicks. But star player Jaylen Brown has accused the officials once again, despite earning a financial slap from the league last time. He led the Beantown with 26 points, and yet it couldn’t power them to a win.

“I guess they call it 50-50 depending on what,” Brown said to the media after the game. “But I guess, defensive guys just put in their face, and I’m allowed to go up into my normal shot motion. And just because their face is in there, they give me an offensive foul. I disagree. We’ve sent clips into the league, there’s no — I don’t know. They call it 50-50 every time, inconsistently.

A guy shouldn’t just be able to just try to put his face in there and get an offensive foul. If I go into my normal shot motion and if his face is there, that’s on him.”

Not only did Brown air his grievances, but he also stated that the Celtics had submitted the proofs to back their claims. The scheme that the 29-year-old is talking about is simple. It’s when a defender puts his face in front of his opponent’s driving and/or shooting motion. Naturally, the offensive player will inevitably hit the face of his defender, resulting in a 50/50 call from a referee. And that tactic often favors the defender, which Jaylen Brown clearly doesn’t like.

The 2024 Finals MVP added that such a tactic nearly cost the Celtics their game against the Miami Heat. It was their biggest comeback of the season, rallying from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 98-96. But they couldn’t get over the line against the Knicks due to officiating errors from the officials, as per Brown.

This is not the first time Brown has complained about the way referees handle games. He is not shy about making his feelings known when it comes to officiating.

The Celtics star was fined $35,000 last month for criticizing the league over his team’s lack of free throws in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Boston attempted a total of four free throws, and Brown himself did not earn a single trip to the charity stripe. But it did earn a fine of $35,000 for Brown’s public criticism of the referees.

“I’m driving to the basket. I’m physical. I don’t flop. I don’t shy away from contact. I go up strong. I’m athletic — and nothing,” he said. “The inconsistency is [expletive] crazy. Give me the fine.”

Not just officiating, Jaylen Brown admitted the problem with the Knicks loss

Draining threes from the distance is a style that Boston does better than anybody else in the league. But what happens when the shots don’t go in? The team looks vulnerable time and again. Against the Knicks, it was the same situation. The Celtics shot just 17% from deep, which is a recipe for disaster.

“I think we created a bunch of open looks,” Brown said. “Just got to step in with confidence and knock them down. I think our offense, we did a good job creating advantages. Just got to make some shots we didn’t make today.”

Jaylen Brown had 26 points, but went 11-25 and 0-4 from three. Derrick White had 19 points, but shot 3-9 from the three-point range. Not just him, the entire team struggled to hit from beyond the court. The bench could only convert 2-18, which proved decisive in the loss.