A controversial call towards the end of the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals led to angry reactions all over social media.
With 7:23 remaining in the fourth quarter, Celtics star Jaylen Brown tried gaining control of the ball from Indiana Pacers guard TJ McConnell.
But Brown missed the ball and ended up violently – and likely unintentionally – palming McConnell in the face, sending the Indiana player crashing to the ground.
Fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse wanted the Boston star to get ejected – if not at least charged with a flagrant foul. But instead, officials ruled that it was a common foul – eliciting boos from the crowd.
Brown would go on to win Eastern Conference Finals MVP as the Celtics completed a sweep of the Pacers and are now on their way to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
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Social media reaction afterwards was shocked at the lack of severity in the call and many believed it should have been a flagrant.
‘Jaylen Brown my guy but this is ridiculous. This should’ve been called a flagrant. Thank God TJ McConnell is alright and back in the game,’ read one post on Twitter.
Another user tweeted, ‘Dirty play. League protects Celtics. Imagine if Draymond Green had done that…’
‘NBA officiating is embarassing [sic],’ wrote another fan.
‘I want these refs investigated cuz HUH?,’ said one Lakers fan.
An irate Miami Heat fan tweeted, ‘jaylen brown continues to be one of the dirtiest players in the league bam [Adebayo] does this and this app loses their mind’
Brown finished the game with a team-high 29 points as well as six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block.