With just 7 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Celtics down by six points, Jaylen Brown found himself in a crucial moment. He was determined to secure a rebound or at the very least deflect the ball away from T.J. McConnell to keep the Celtics’ hopes alive.
However, in his attempt to make a play, Brown’s hand and forearm inadvertently made contact with McConnell’s face. McConnell, caught off guard, landed hard on his back and visibly winced in pain. He remained on the ground for a brief period of time. Recognizing the foul, the referees promptly called a common foul on Brown and decided to review the play to determine if it should be considered a flagrant foul.
Interestingly, even the Pacers, Brown’s opponents, did not view the play as malicious. However, it is important to note that a flagrant foul does not necessarily have to involve intentional harm. According to the rule book, any contact that is deemed unnecessary can be classified as a flagrant foul. Rule 12B, Section IV-a states that if contact is committed against a player, with or without the ball, and is interpreted as unnecessary, a flagrant foul will be assessed. In this case, Brown was charged with a personal foul, and the team was also penalized with a team foul.
All flagrant fouls are subject to review. If a player commits two flagrant 1 fouls in a game, they will be ejected. The team that was fouled receives two free throws and retains possession of the ball.”
According to ESPN’s rules expert, it was initially believed that the foul would be called flagrant. However, after reviewing the play, the officials determined it to be a common foul.
Despite the ruling, McConnell remained in the game. The Celtics ultimately won the game 105-102, and McConnell and Brown shared a friendly hug.
Crew Chief Zach Zarba spoke to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star, who was acting as the pool reporter, to provide an explanation for the ruling.