Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown knows how to protect his pocketbook. Prodded by a reporter in his post-game press conference to give his thoughts on a controversial offensive foul call against the Detroit Pistons Friday night, Brown deftly avoided giving his opinion on the matter–avoiding a potential fine from the NBA–but still expressed his desire to see an explanation from the league's office on the rationale of the call.

For those curious to see just how questionable the whistle was, see the video below:

Taking the rebound off the missed shot from Detroit, Brown pushed up the court as the Celtics looked to exploit the man-advantage in transition. With Detroit center Isiah Stewart sprinting back on defense behind, the Boston forward was bowled over by the big man as he crossed mid-court. Although Stewart was behind him and appeared to be the one to initiate the contact, the foul was assessed to Brown, with the Pistons regaining possession.

One possible explanation that the league could deliver on the official's call is that Brown impeded the trailing player's progress, and therefore the whistle was correct. Since players are meant to retain the ability to move forward, Brown's maneuver to dart in front of his forward path would be considered illegal under this interpretation.

However, the argument that the Celtics and many observers will make is that officials rarely choose to apply that interpretation. Instead, referees have generally called the foul on the trailing defender, which is most often used as a tactic by Houston Rockets star James Harden and Atlanta Hawks sharpshooter Trae Young.

In a league where the rulebook can be maddeningly vague, consistency is key–a point the Celtics star would likely make if it wouldn't cost him several thousands of dollars.