Boston rode a balanced performance and a big night from Derrick White in a bounce-back win.
The Celtics bounced back from their In Season Tournament loss to the Pacers with a 133-123 win over the Knicks on Friday that became relatively comfortable in the second half.
Here are the takeaways.
1. In a double-digit victory against a playoff-caliber opponent, the big story for the Celtics was Jaylen Brown’s ejection in the fourth quarter after picking up a pair of technicals on the same play.
The first technical — according to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who spoke incredulously to officials in the aftermath — was for telling an official not to call “that weak-ass s—” after Brown was whistled for a foul.
“I’ve been on the sidelines in the NBA for five years,” Mazzulla added. “I’ve seen players act and say things that are way more disrespectful than that.”
The second technical was a little murkier, but the postgame pool report offered an explanation from crew chief Mark Lindsay.
“The second technical foul was called for a wave off directed at the official which under the respect of the game guidelines is considered an overt gesture and an unsportsmanlike act,” Lindsay said.
Mazzulla said he didn’t receive an explanation for the second technical, adding that he was trying not to cost himself $25,000 for complaining publicly about the officials.
Brown wasn’t quite as careful.
“I think it’s a difference between showing emotion, and it being disrespectful or derogatory towards another person,” Brown said. “I don’t think I was directing it towards him whatsoever. Especially on the second one. It wasn’t even close. I was on the bench, I’m talking from the sideline. He can’t even hear anything I’m saying. So he calls a tech from across the court. That for sure has to do with somebody having their emotions too involved in whatever else is going on, and they’re accessing their power with technical fouls. I ain’t going to comment on officiating in general, but I am going to comment on this guy in particular tonight. I thought it was bulls—.”
Brown added that he was talking to a different official when the first official threw him out.
“I’m explaining to the ref, and he calls a second tech from the other side of the court, which is a clear example of somebody exercising their power to try to get somebody thrown out the game,” Brown said.
