In what was another chapter to the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson were involved in a heated exchange in the fourth quarter of a tightly contested game on Sunday afternoon.
After Brown was ruled for a Flagrant 1 foul on Robinson, the Heat sharpshooter approached Brown in what became a heated verbal altercation.
It was the Celtics who got the best of the matchup in the end, topping the Heat 110-106 to complete the series sweep.
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"There was no issue for me," Brown said following the win of the interaction with Robinson. "I think he knew exactly what he was trying to do, trying to get tangled up because he didn't want to play defense. They called the foul, but he was still trying to hang on, but I was trying to get my arm free."
With 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, Celtics guard Derrick White was trying to get the ball to Brown along the perimeter. Robinson was playing physical off-ball defense and had managed to get his arm tangled up with Brown, holding him back from catching White's pass. Once the play had stopped, Robinson had remained intertwined with Brown, and Brown tried to free his arm, sending Robinson to the floor, leading to the Flagrant 1 call against Boston's three-time All-Star.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla loved the physicality of the game, seeing it as a way to make Boston better down the stretch. Brown was asked if he has a limit that causes him to become an enforcer for himself.
"Yeah, and especially Miami is known for being physical, Miami is known for getting away with a lot of that stuff, kind of mucking up the game," Brown added of the Heat. "At the end of the day, you need to protect and own your space, so Duncan Robinson, what he was doing there, trying to get tangled up, I don't know what he was trying to do -- I bet you he won't it again."
Brown put up another solid night in what has been a fantastic year for the 2024 All-Star, posting 20 points on 8-16 shooting, nine rebounds, and two assists.
The Celtics will look to take what they learned from Sunday's close win and apply it to their next matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on the road on Tuesday night.
