The Celtics generated plenty of offense at the rim in Saturday night’s 100-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, but it rarely translated to trips to the free-throw line.
Boston attempted 49 shots from two-point range, with 36 of those coming in the paint, including 19 in the restricted area. Despite that interior presence, the Celtics attempted just four free throws – tied for the fewest by any team in the NBA this season and the second-fewest in franchise history.
Those attempts were limited to two players. Neemias Queta went to the line twice at the 11:09 mark of the second quarter, while Derrick White attempted the Celtics’ only other free throws with 37 seconds remaining.
The absence was especially glaring for Jaylen Brown. The MVP candidate finished with 17 two-point attempts, 12 of which came in the paint, yet didn’t earn a trip to the free-throw line. It marked the second time this season Brown failed to attempt a free throw, and the 11th time he was limited to four or fewer attempts.
Brown entered the night ranked third in the NBA in drives per game (17.7) and first in the Eastern Conference, trailing only Deni Avdija (20.4) and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (18.1). He has been vocal about officiating inconsistencies throughout the season, and following Saturday’s loss, he offered his most pointed frustration yet.
“I feel like, honestly, they just got away with a lot. And I’m tired of the inconsistency,” he said. “I’ll accept the fine at this point. I thought it was some bullsh— tonight. 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 sh— every time we play a good team. It’s like they refuse to make a call, then call touch fouls on the other end, and that’s just extremely frustrating, bro. Like play hard. We are outplaying our expectations. We compete hard on the defensive end, and then they reward the other team with touch fouls, and we go down there, and guys are allowed to get away with it.”
Brown went further by calling out crew chief Curtis Blair by name as he continued his criticism of the officiating following the loss.
“Every time we play a good team, the inconsistency is crazy. I’ll take the f—ing fine. Curtis, all them dudes was terrible tonight. I don’t care. They can fine me whatever they want. But it’s crazy. Every time we play a good team, it’s the same bullsh—. Somebody please pull up the clips. I’m irate at how they officiated the game today. If we can’t get to the free-throw line and teams are allowed to be physical and bump us off our spots, etc., then it’s hard to win games like that.”
Boston averages 18.9 free-throw attempts per game, the fewest in the NBA. Their shot profile plays a role in that number, as the Celtics rank second in the league in three-point attempts. However, the gap has been even more pronounced against elite competition.
Against top-five Western Conference teams, Boston attempted 12 free throws against the Lakers, 15 against the Timberwolves, 15 against the Nuggets, and four against the Spurs—all below its season average. Against top-five Eastern Conference opponents, the Celtics were also below their average against the Knicks (14.5) and Raptors (16.0), while averaging 25.0 against Detroit and 19.0 against Philadelphia.
For Brown, the trend has been similar. He was below his season average of 7.2 free-throw attempts in three of four games against top Western Conference teams — Minnesota (four), Denver (three), and San Antonio (zero) — and in two of four games against top Eastern Conference opponents, including the Knicks (6.5) and 76ers (5.7).
“We shot four free throws tonight and lost the game by four,” Brown said. “Not to say that’s the whole game, the whole story. We’ve got to be better in spots. I’ve got to be better in spots. But goddamn. I’m driving to the basket. I’m physical. I don’t flop. I don’t shy away from contact. I go up strong. I’m athletic. And nothing. Zero free throws tonight. The inconsistency is f—ing crazy. Give me the fine.”
Is this a new issue that has popped up this season?
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Brown said. “I got my conspiracies or whatever, but I don’t know what’s going on. But it seems like every time we play a good team, it’s the same sh—.”
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