Stephen A. Smith questions NBA referee’s authority after Jaylen Brown ejection

Jaylen Brown's night ended early Tuesday, and it didn't take long for things to get heated. The Boston Celtics dropped a 125-116 game to the San Antonio Spurs, but the bigger story was Brown getting tossed before halftime after going off on an official over a disputed call.

Brown stumbled out of bounds while being guarded by Spurs guard Stephon Castle, which led to a turnover. He immediately argued that Castle pushed him off the floor. Crew chief Tyler Ford later said officials didn't see any illegal contact during the live play.

Ford hit Brown with the first technical foul, but Brown kept arguing. NBA Official Suyash Mehta then stepped in and issued a second technical as Sam Hauser tried pulling Brown away, and that was it. Brown was done for the night.

Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Jaylen Brown ejection

The ejection did not just upset the Celtics crew on the court and fans. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith went after Mehta on First Take, questioning why he even got involved.

"You have a situation of crew chief, Tyler Ford, and Suyash Mehta is an underling. He's not the crew chief. And Tyler Ford missed a call, and that was who Jaylen Brown approached. And then the official, Mehta, he comes in and ejects him. Why? It was none of your business."

"You have nothing to do with the play. It was not your call, and you're not the chief. Who the hell do you think you are? We got a nationally-televised game going on with the Top 2 candidates for MVP honors. We want to see Jaylen Brown," Smith said.