Celtics’ Jaylen Brown takes shot at ‘flopping’ Joel Embiid after Game 7 loss

The Boston Celtics’ season ended on Saturday night following a 109-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series at TD Garden. Down 3-1, Philadelphia ended a decades-long drought against Boston, claiming its first postseason series win since 1982 with a stunning 3-1 comeback.

Leading from the front, Joel Embiid finished with a game-high 34 points, along with 12 rebounds and six assists, while pacing all players with 11 free-throw attempts.

However, not everyone was impressed by Embiid’s performance. Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 33 points, nine rebounds, and four assists on 12-of-27 shooting and 3-of-9 from three-point range, acknowledged Embiid’s dominance but criticized his style of play.

Brown stated that Boston “didn’t really have an answer” for Embiid despite trying multiple defensive approaches, while also accusing him of “flopping around” and benefiting from favorable officiating.

“It was tough. Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, on all of our bigs and our guards,” Brown said. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things. He’s a big body and he also was flopping around and got some extra calls and stuff like that and they rewarded him for that. But you know, that’s the league that we’re in. I mean, that’s all I got to say.”

"He's a big body. He also was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that and they rewarded him for that. But that's the league that we're in"

Jaylen Brown on Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/JLLTrdVrV3

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 3, 2026

Embiid’s physical presence and ability to draw fouls created consistent pressure on Celtics defenders throughout the game. Boston played without Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out before the game due to knee stiffness, which considerably reduced their offensive firepower.

The matchup included several intense on-court moments. In the third quarter, Embiid scored through contact against Brown and exchanged verbal taunts. Later, in the fourth quarter, Embiid received a technical foul after making contact with Brown following a whistle, causing Brown to fall to the floor. Though tempers had flared, both players ended things on a respectful note with an embrace.

Embiid missed the first three games of the series due to an emergency appendectomy but returned to play a central role in the 76ers’ rally. The Celtics’ elimination, meanwhile, exposed problems with lineup decisions, inconsistency, and late-game execution.

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