In the 122-114 loss against the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics reflected on the foul calls that were given in Hawks guard Trae Young's favor. The Celtics, who committed 27 personal fouls compared to the 18 of the Hawks, were frustrated by what many consider to be James Harden fouls that Young was able to draw.
Here is what head coach Brad Stevens had to say on the matter, via Jared Weiss of The Athletic:
“It’s very difficult. It makes it very difficult. It’s the (James) Harden stuff where in an ideal world you make those people uncomfortable. You keep them off balance and you’re physical and you’re into them,” the Celtics coach said. “When they have all the tricks and have the ball on a string, and sell fouls, I think that at the end of the day, it’s hard. It’s just hard to put pressure on those guys.”
When refs have to deal with these head bobs and arms flailing as players drive to the basket, they are bound to call something at one point in time. They have to distinguish between flopping and legit contact every game, but it's especially hard when players become actors, trying to sell the ref a ticket to their show.
Jaylen Brown was especially frustrated with the foul calls that were made against the Celtics, as he believed that it can throw teams off of their rhythm and send players to the bench early in the game, via Weiss. He's right, but that's what the opponents want and whether its a cheap tactic or strategy is still being widely debated
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