Magic Coach Calls Out Celtics, Referees After Game 4 Loss

Jamahl Mosley believes the Celtics-Magic Game 4 referees were influenced Sunday night.

Boston, particularly Jaylen Brown, voiced frustration with the officiating after Friday night’s loss at Kia Center. Brown thought the refs didn’t “control the environment,” where the Celtics and the Magic upped the physicality so much that it was “starting to feel like it’s not even basketball.”

Well, after shooting 22 free throws in Game 3, the C’s took 32 attempts from the charity stripe Sunday. The visitors only missed two free throws, and their success from the line was paramount in a crucial 107-98 victory.

Mosley thought his team brought the same level of physicality to the floor in Game 4 as it did Friday. But Orlando’s head coach believes the officials were leaning a certain way after the blunt remarks from the reigning NBA champions.

“We were attacking the basket the exact same way,” Mosley told reporters, per MassLive. “Now, we didn’t knock them down when we got there. We had to understand that the calls, the whistle was going to head in that direction after what’s been said. So we have to continue to just be smart there, hold our ground, get positioning earlier and make sure we show our hands.”

Perhaps Mosley was a bit on edge since he knew his team found itself in a borderline insurmountable spot. The Celtics have a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, and they will have the opportunity to bounce the Magic at TD Garden on Tuesday night.