The matchup between the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs took an unexpected turn early in the second quarter. The game – eventually won by San Antonio 125-116 – was marked by the ejection of Jaylen Brown after only 15 minutes.

The incident began with contact involving Stephon Castle, who according to Brown had pushed him out of bounds without any whistle from the officials. The lack of a call sparked the Celtics wing’s frustration, as he approached crew chief Tyler Ford, pointing at him and protesting animatedly.

I just give a lot of credit to my high school principal. He had the courage to send a student away himself, he didn’t let the hall monitor do it… He was truly an incredible principal

Joe Mazzulla

Ford immediately assessed the first technical foul. The decision, however, only fueled Brown’s anger. Despite teammates trying to calm him down, the protest continued until referee Suyash Mehta stepped in and called the second technical, resulting in the ejection.

In the postgame Pool Report, Ford clarified the reasoning behind the officiating decision.

The first technical was issued for aggressively pointing and using offensive language after the missed call. The second came because he approached an official in an aggressive manner while continuing to point and use offensive language

Tyler Ford

Before leaving the floor, Brown had recorded 8 points and 7 assists in 15 minutes.

Beyond the debate over the initial contact, the episode once again raises the issue of emotional control among NBA superstars (and slightly cools Brown’s MVP candidacy). In the NBA, franchise players also carry the responsibility of handling situations like this without hurting their team.

In a regular-season game, the impact may be limited, but in a playoff series, an ejection like this could completely shift the momentum of a game.