Celtics forward Jaylen Brown accuses Joel Embiid of flopping, says he was ‘targeted’ by refs with ‘agenda’

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown had some things to get off his chest when he sat down to host a Twitch stream on Sunday night.

Brown scored 33 points in Game 7 at TD Garden a night earlier, but his effort was not enough to keep the Sixers from completing an improbable comeback after going down three games to one in the Eastern Conference first-round series. It is the first time in franchise history the Sixers have overcome a 3-1 series deficit — and the first time the Celtics have squandered one — and Philly’s first series win over Boston since 1982.

Brown took aim at series officials during his stream on Sunday and made the claim that “flopping has ruined our game.” He called out Joel Embiid specifically for embellishment.

“Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history,” Brown said. “[He] flops. He knows it. This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”

» READ MORE: After finally toppling Boston, Sixers quickly flip the switch to second-round matchup against Knicks

Embiid missed the first three games of the first-round series against the Celtics after undergoing emergency surgery to treat appendicitis on April 9, but he averaged 28 points in the final four games of the series, including a 34-point, 12-rebound double-double performance in Game 7 at TD Garden. After the decisive game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla admitted that Embiid’s return was the difference.

As for the officiating during the series, Brown claimed that referees “targeted” him specifically for pushing with his off-arm to create space against defenders during the series.

“You know how many players do that?” Brown said. “That is such a common play, a basketball play. Every player does it. So why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda, maybe because I was critical of the refs in the regular season. You know how they responded? ‘You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls.’ That was the response from the officiating crew.”

Brown claimed he spoke to referees that confirmed there was an agenda against him in the series. The Celtics guard, who has served as a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association since 2019, named Paul George and Jalen Brunson as other players who get away with using their off arm to clear space.

“I’ve actually spoke to some refs and they said it was an agenda going into each game,” Brown said. “Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. But Paul George does the same thing, Jalen Brunson does the same thing ... I could go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not.”

Brown committed 21 fouls during the series, including four-foul outings in Games 2 and 6, when he picked up his fourth 30 seconds into the second half and didn’t play the final 10-plus minutes of the game.

While the Sixers took seven more foul shots than the Celtics in Game 7 — Embiid’s return added 7.8 per game to the Sixers’ total — the series-long data would suggest that the Celtics got more favorable whistles from officiating crews, at least while on offense. Over the entire series, Boston took seven more free throws than the Sixers.

The Sixers have bigger concerns than live-streamed comments from Brown as they prepare to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 of the series is at Madison Square Garden on Monday (8 p.m., NBC, Peacock).