Jaylen Brown accuses Joel Embiid of 'flopping around,' blames refs after Celtics' Game 7 loss to Sixers

Joel Embiid’s great night came with a caveat, according to Jaylen Brown.

The Philadelphia 76ers completed a historic comeback on Saturday with a Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics. Embiid played a starring role in the proceedings, with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 turnover.

Brown had a productive game as well, posting 33 points and 9 assists. He then had something to say while speaking with reporters postgame:

“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, on all of our bigs and our guards. We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things. He’s a big body. He also was flopping around. He got some extra calls and they rewarded him for that, but that’s the league we’re in.”

Not too hard to decipher that message, though it’s worth noting that Embiid and Brown did share a friendly embrace on the court after the game.

Obviously, Embiid has a well-earned reputation for drawing fouls being built into his game. And on Saturday, he was 9-for-11 from the free thrown line, which is more attempts than the entire Celtics starting lineup got.

That wasn’t the main reason the Celtics lost, though. If you want one factor that could have turned this game into a Celtics blowout, look no further than their 13-for-49 performance at the 3-point line (26.5%). Brown himself was 3-for-9.

We could also talk about the Celtics missing 10 straight baskets in the final five minutes, or Derrick White going from a standout first half to a disappearing act in the second half. ’s absence also loomed large after the star was surprisingly ruled out for the game with knee stiffness.