Celtics' Jaylen Brown Caught Criticizing Officials Over Mavericks' Cooper Flagg

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, 110-100, and the game never even felt that close, especially in the second half. The teams' biggest stars went head-to-head for an impressive showing, though. Cooper Flagg finished with 36 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Jaylen Brown wasn't far behind with 33 points and 11 rebounds.

However, in the fourth quarter of the game, Jaylen Brown was caught on a hot mic questioning the officials after Flagg was sent to the free-throw line, saying, “He’s a rookie, and he’s got 10 free throws.”

Jaylen Brown on the hot mic talking about Cooper Flagg’s trips to the line:

“He’s a rookie and he’s got 10 free throws.” pic.twitter.com/JGYOtffEcQ
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) February 4, 2026

Cooper Flagg went 10/11 from the free-throw line in this game, which is tied for the second-most free throws he's attempted in a game this season. However, every single one of those free throws was deserved. He was getting hacked in the first half, but didn't take any free throws then. The whistle finally started catching up in the second half, but it still didn't feel like Flagg was getting a fair whistle at times.

This also comes on the heels of Jason Kidd being fined $35,000 after calling out the officials after Saturday's game against the Houston Rockets, calling out each referee by name in his postgame press conference, and saying they were "awful tonight." He was adamant that Flagg had been fouled on the last meaningful offensive possession of the game, and while the NBA's Last 2 Minute Report disagreed, there was definitely some contact from behind by Kevin Durant.

Feb 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts against the Boston Celtics during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Issue With Today's NBA Officiating

A lot of people have called out Jaylen Brown for this take, but it's one that exists around the NBA. Veterans often feel like rookies and other young players have to "earn" the benefit of the doubt for a whistle, instead of a foul just being called a foul. There are a lot of issues with today's officiating, but this is arguably the biggest. Sometimes, the bigger stars get more calls, or in the case of someone like Draymond Green, can take things a lot further before they're hit with a technical foul.

Yes, stars like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic complain a lot to the referees, and they also probably get away with some things they shouldn't. This is a star-driven league, and sometimes that means they get a little extra favor in their whistle.

There has been no favor with Cooper Flagg's whistle all season, and even if he shot 11 free throws against the Celtics on Tuesday night, the same goes for that game.

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