NBA’s L2M says foul overturn against Celtics’ Jaylen Brown was correct

Buddy Hield ADMITS HE FOULED Jaylen Brown | Pacers Postgame Interview

The NBA released a Last 2 Minute Report on Tuesday, addressing the overturned call late in the Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics game.

The report determined that the reversed foul against Celtics’ Jaylen Brown was correct, citing that the contact made by the Pacers’ Buddy Hield on Brown was incidental.

“The video clearly shows that Hield reaches forward and makes contact with the ball from behind Brown (BOS). While in contact with the ball, Hield also makes minimal contact with Brown’s head, and on review that contact was correctly deemed incidental,” the report released on Tuesday said.

“As the rulebook makes clear, the mere fact that contact occurs does not necessarily constitute a foul; contact which is incidental to an effort by a player to defend an opponent, reach a loose ball, or perform normal defensive or offensive movements is not considered illegal.”

The disputed contact

With just seconds left on the clock and the score tied at 131-131 on Monday night, Brown attempted a game-winning shot, only to get hit in the head by Hield.

I think he obviously hit me in the head. We definitely need to do some investigation. That’s all I’m gonna say. I think that was an obvious one. I’ve never heard of ‘head part of the ball’.

Jaylen Brown

The referees initially called a foul on Hield, which would have given Brown two potential free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining in the contest. However, the Pacers challenged the decision, leading to an overturned call of no foul.

The unexpected outcome left Brown and the Celtics feeling frustrated, leading the star player to demand an investigation from the NBA.

Following the game, an emotional Brown spoke to reporters about the call, saying, “When I asked [the referee] if I got hit in the head, he said no, but it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Disappointing ruling

Similar sentiments were echoed by Brown’s teammates and coaches, who expressed their disappointment and confusion over the call. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla noted that even the Pacers knew the call was wrong.

“I’m not bothered,” Mazzulla said after the loss. “Just, Buddy Hield told me that he fouled [Brown].”

Meanwhile, Hield admitted that he was unsure, and said that the decision was ultimately up to the refs.

“I mean, I told Joe what I told Joe. But they have three refs out there and they had the replay center, and that’s what replay is for, I guess,” he said. Hield thought he might have hit Brown; however, he felt that the contact was “not excessive.”