Saturday night’s 100-95 loss against the San Antonio Spurs was the tipping point for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown. In the five-point loss, the Celtics shot just four free throws all night, with none going to Brown himself. When it was all over, he didn’t soften his edge and made his opinion clear.

“I’ll accept the fine at this point,” Brown told reporters in the post-game conference. “I thought it was some bullsh– tonight. I think they’re a good defensive team, but they ain’t that damn good. And I hope somebody can just pull up the clips, because it’s the same s— every time we play a good team.”

Brown unloaded on the officiating crew with a level of detail and frustration that left little ambiguity about intent. He accused the referees of letting the Spurs “get away with a lot,” highlighting what he saw as touch fouls being called on one end while hard-nosed play was being ignored on the other.

The numbers show exactly what he meant. Only Neemias Queta and Payton Pritchard attempted free throws for the Celtics, with the team making just three free throws despite running a drive-heavy offense.

“I’m driving to the basket,” Brown told reporters. “I’m physical. I don’t flop, I don’t shy away from contact. I go up strong. I’m athletic and nothing. I had zero free throws tonight. The inconsistency is f—ing crazy. Give me the fine.”

Brown didn’t just vent, but invited punishment, directly naming official Curtis Blair as one of the “trash” officials tonight. He challenged people to publicly pull up the clips, and by doing so, crossed the line that the NBA draws between emotional criticism and conduct detrimental to the league.

Jaylen Brown’s Officiating Frustration Didn’t Start Tonight, And the NBA Might Respond

What made Jaylen Brown’s outburst resonate was the context in which it occurred. This isn’t the first time this season he has voiced concerns about the officiating, especially against elite opponents.

Earlier this season, when the Celtics faced off against the Denver Nuggets, Brown expressed similar frustrations regarding physicality, whistle disparity, and the difficulty of drawing free throws against elite opponents.

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“They were physical and they got away with a lot,” the Celtics forward said back then, comments almost exactly the same as today. “I kind of let the officiating get to my head a little bit. I think their defense was good, but it wasn’t great.”

The stats back up his words, too. According to Second Spectrum data tracking, Brown is averaging the third most drives in the game at 17.7 per game, with a 9.2% foul percentage. Against the Nuggets, he logged 31 drives, but only drew one foul.

That’s a 3.2% foul percentage, almost a third of his season averages, and the data is bound to be similar once tracking data becomes available for the Spurs game, too.

Considering his comments, Brown is likely to receive a fine of five figures, ranging from $25,000 to $75,000. In March 20205, DeMar DeRozan was fined for calling the refs “terrible as s—,” and something similar is likely waiting for Brown, too.