‘We’re competing’: Nick Nurse fires back at Jaylen Brown for ‘grown men’ comments on Raptors-Celtics tussle
by Samir MehdiNick Nurse defends himself and his Raptors against Jaylen Brown’s remarks towards them, “Grown men should be able to control themselves.”
In not only one of the best games of the NBA Bubble but of the entirety of the season, the Toronto Raptors held on against the Boston Celtics in a 125-122 double-OT win in Game 6.
With the level of intensity being at an all time high, the game was not without its late in the quarter antics. Most notable was when Raptors Head Coach, Nick Nurse stood awfully close to the sidelines and near Celtics big man, Daniel Theis.
This caused Jayson Tatum to get confused and pass the ball out of bounds, seemingly to Nick Nurse.
Jaylen Brown did not take this action by Nurse lightly
In his media availability, Jaylen Brown called out Nurse and the Raptors bench for their theatrics saying, “Grown men should be able to control themselves.”
Nick Nurse was told about Brown’s comments in his postgame presser to which Nurse very nonchalantly replied, “No. We’re just competing out there.”
Jayson Tatum made it clear however that he is at fault and should’ve known better.
It is not clear about whether or not the 2020 Coach of the Year candidate stood so close to the sidelines on purpose to puzzle Tatum but what he did sure worked, helping the Raptors gain possession of the ball with less than 1 minute remaining in the ball game.
Are Nick Nurse’s actions justified?
Coaches have been storming onto the court for as long as the NBA has been a professional league. The official NBA Rulebook states that no coach may cross the mid-court line or this will immediately result in a technical foul on the coach.
However, Nurse did not cross the mid-court. What he did however was ever-so-slightly place his foot on the out of bounds line which is quite unprofessional when the game is in play.