Boston Celtics CLUTCH PROBLEM | Jaylen Brown RIGHT about the refs?
Boston Celtics confront major clutch struggles as Jaylen Brown battles officials and trade rumors swirl. Can the team overcome inconsistent officiating and find late-game composure before the playoffs?
John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm of Boston.com break down Jaylen Brown’s ongoing frustration with referees, exploring whether excessive complaints help or hurt Boston’s chances. The duo analyzes the Celtics’ league-worst clutch defense and the implications for playoff success, plus spotlight Derrick White and Payton Pritchard’s roles in the team’s offensive identity. As trade talks intensify—especially around Ivica Zubac and rising prospect Hugo Gonzalez—the hosts debate whether Boston should risk its future for immediate upgrades.
Will Jayson Tatum’s return transform the clutch problem? Is trading away promising talent for veteran depth the right move? Tune in for all the latest Celtics news, gritty analysis, and what Boston needs to do next to stay contenders.
0:00 Jaylen Brown vs. Officials
3:12 Celtics’ Free Throw Disparity
7:16 Productive Complaining?
14:17 Ref Conspiracy Theories
19:02 Celtics Clutch Stats Exposed
24:42 Trade Rumors: Zubac & Hugo Debate
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30 Comments
Celtics record in clutch is 8-11
No booing Tom. 💚☘☘☘ C's got called for some ticky tack fouls. Spurs weren't called for some obvious fouls they committed. That's my take. Saying JB should "shut up and dribble" ain't a real popular take John. I'd rather JB react to it in the presser than during the game if his upset gets him out of his game in the clutch. Zubac is way too costly for what you get.
Brown working himself into exhaustion… overtired….and just voicing frustration that his supporting cast isn’t good enough…
Jaylen actually gets away with pushing off on nearly every play, he needs to chill
☘️☘️👊
the celtics generally get less FTs against EVERYBODY. not just good teams. they have the worst FTA and FT differential in the league. yes they are a jump-shooting team but what offense do they run? they run a drive and kick offense. they have placed between #3-7 this year in drives and paint touches. they also drive. they get hacked and get no calls unlike SGA, luka, reaves, etc. the celtics dont just simply bring down the ball and chuck 3s.
and no john. you are exaggerating. guys like pp and jb drive alot and get alot of physical contact just like SGA and the others. they just dont flop. yes tom, the foul may not have been egregious but other teams get ticky tack fouls. especially and-1s. we dont get that. and havent gotten that for years. luka keeps complaining and gets FTs. i see JBs logic here.
i'm with JB on this. he shut up about it and the celtics are still dead last. silence is getting them nowwhere. might as well take the fine and have a serious conversation started about it. imagine how JB feels when he turns on a thunder or lakers game.
JBs clamoring for consistency for calls across games and consistency of calls between teams. it cant be ticky tack on one side then has to be hard fouls on the other side. set a standard and call it BOTH ways EVERY game, across ALL teams.
that offer was a massive overpay for this season's version of zubac. you're being irrational about that deal john. i'd rather take claxton for that offer.
I think the clutch is where the lack of continuity truly shows. Great closing teams have been together for some time and that chemistry is at its best when the moments are biggest. All the little kinks and flaws and even the talent issues show in those moments… it will continue to get better. It was really bad early on in the season. It’s improved since.
Just develop Amari Williams by giving him regular NBA playing time. His G League games show that this kid can play.
The league hates the Celtics. Paul Pierce was right after all.
Good season, now somebody else has to step up(other than the coach and the big three) …
OK I'm with you on the Zubac, but not even as willing as Simons, Walsh and 2 picks let alone 3. Also, as you say, a person with Jayson Tatum's name and number will likely come back but not only, will he have to rehab the injury(though fully healed) in NBA action, but even if he had been in prison, on a secret mission or abducted by aliens without suffering the achilles tear, it might take a while to get back to his prime self. The future is, very likley NOT NOW!! Centers may not be fungible, but if they need one to solidify a championship run, Zubac or comparable can be found down the road.
Imagine if JT were playing in that last game, we wouldve won by 10+.
But then again, JT couldve gotten ejected as well for complaining to the refs. Lol
Tbh John I don’t want Zubac because this will hinder Queta’s development and push him back to the bench I still want to see him develop
The Celtics are having a nice season but lets be honest ,they do not have enough talent .
What is the explanation for 2 FTs vs a closely called early in the penalty officiating on the other end ? I don’t believe it’s any conspiracy but something went wrong and it’s a chronic problem with certain stars and Wemby is someone they desperately want as a super star. League priorities find a way into the way things play out. Subconscious bias – SGA great and gets calls. The bigger stronger guys that don’t flop aren’t officiated the same way. Maybe they need better training and review for officials. But they can’t fix anything if they don’t admit there are some problems. Statistical anomalies are a good place to start. I thought you folks did a poor job and didn’t comment at all on whether SA offense and whether it was generating a lot of fouls and FTs
Whether you are tired of JB or not do a logical analysis. Don’t make it personal.
All seasons are big swing seasons when you have 2-3 more years of Tatum and Brown including this one. Disappointing analysis today.
Giving away the 3 young guys is trading away your future. Hugo is a great piece, Walsh has glimpse of an Awesome player and “Why not” can also be something very soon.
I’d rather see Sam or Simmons and some picks go for a center
The players reaction to a no call shouldn’t matter. That’s a terrible argument. 56 drives and 2 calls in the last 2 games is just pure evidence of the refs playing games. And sports betting is a big part of it. It’s dirty for sure.
garza is better than zubac. better shooter, younger and cheap. i dont think celtics make any trades unless giannis becomes availiable
You both admitted that the refs broke the rules at least 35%. So someone calling it out isn’t being undignified. Someone needs to call out the truth. You are both drones for the business you are protecting. No one said the entire league is dirty. Just a large enough percentage that it’s obviously an issue. Contradiction is ignorance.
It’s as simple as basketball is hard to referee (it may even be at its limit) and the league has dozens of foul-hunters. It’s always going to be imperfect.
Sorry, JB. I know he gets fewer calls because he doesn’t flop but it’s a little immature to expect all referees to reach a new level of competency when reffing him. There’s a profile of guys who get a good whistle and it includes intentionally contacting defenders on a drive and accentuating the contact. That’s not JB.
I would prefer to just love JB for not flopping AND no whining during games (save it for the mic).
Clutch performance is a lot about vet experience and reps with a lineup, sort of what the Celtics lack the most.
JB needs to worry about his turnovers,not his fouls
I used deep research to look in to Jaylens issues and long story short, he has a case for himself personally specifically on jump shots. It’s not crazy, but he should be getting to the line more compared to his peers who have similar shot profiles…. As a team, we are bottom of the league, and it is curious that our foul rate doesn’t match our drive rate.. but we are a drive and kick team. We also generate a lot more open shots than anyone else and take near the most threes… so a lot of it from a team perspective is shot profile and scheme.
The recent post from foresburg that shows 54 drives with just one shooting foul called over last few games for Jaylen definitely feels off…
But on the other side of that coin they do let Jaylen play particularly physical which does go in his favor. Even as a huge Celtic and Jaylen fan I can say he gets away with 1-2 offensive fouls a night.
Jaylen gets hacked all the time and is seeing his team get called for the same hacks. He’s also not getting almost any of the 50/50 called recently – the wemby one is a good example. Wemby wasn’t perfectly vertical, he DID hit Jaylens arm which dislodged the ball. I’d even argue that was just a plain old foul not 50/50 and he is 8 fucking 5!! Why is HE getting the benefit of the doubt as the help defender there?
Yall think we’re sending expiring 27 mil , Hugo and draft picks for zubac Is hilarious lol
Oh god these two political correctness people so middle of the road! Jaylen has every right to stand up for the team when refs are on the take! Are you that naïve? To think gambling isn’t paying the refs! You full of crap
He has to complain until something gets done about it! Cheating the Celtics and jaylen Brown is corny ASF, period 💯
WALSH is a victim of those ticky tacky fouls early, JB is talking about. JB is not just speaking for himself but the whole Team. JB is very physical and get his fair share of offensive fouls, but 0 fts against Spurs and 3 against Denver from Curtis crew, but 14against the Raptors in between. Come on thats fishy to me also.
Pep expect this man to drag 3 legit Nba starters and 12 role players to the top is not realistic. Most these guys was 10thman on somebody bench, or in G league last year, or Rookies. No way JB was going to continue what he done in December.
So the headbutt on PP wasn’t a foul? 😅