Jaylen Brown was the spark the Celtics needed to start their fourth quarter comeback against Warriors
BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum didn't have his shot in Game 1, and settled for being a facilitator in Boston's comeback win over the Warriors. So someone needed to step up and make shots for the Celtics on Thursday night.
That someone was... well it was a little bit of everyone in the fourth quarter. Al Horford, Derrick White, and Marcus Smart all hit big shots down the stretch for the Celtics as they erased a 12-point deficit and took Game 1 from the Warriors, 120-108, in rather stunning fashion.
While it was that trio leading the Celtics to their eventual victory, as Boston outscored Golden State 40-16 in the fourth, the Celtics wouldn't have had that opportunity had it not been for Jaylen Brown taking over to start the final quarter. Brown scored 10 of the Celtics' first 14 points in the frame, and assisted on Boston's other two baskets in that stretch.
"He had a great start to the fourth quarter," head coach Ime Udoka said of his swingman. "With JT struggling a little bit, we went to him more. He was extremely aggressive getting downhill. Got the bigs switching on him and got the shots that he wanted."
Whether it was by way of a step back, a drive to the hoop, or a deadeye three, Brown dominated the Warriors for four-plus minutes to start the quarter. When the Warriors defense started to focus on him, Brown created for others, dishing out five assists in the frame. His dime to Derrick White for a three with 5:40 to play tied the game at 103-103, and the Celtics took the lead for good on their next possession.
It was sheer dominance by Brown in the fourth, which was a welcome sight after he scored just three points total in the fourth quarters of Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Heat. But overall, Brown has been downright lethal in the fourth quarter during the playoffs.
He was 4-for-6 in the fourth on Thursday night, and is now shooting 66.7 percent for the quarter this postseason. He's making 65 percent of his threes in the frame. He also leads all players with 130 fourth-quarter points.
Brown was 6-for-17 heading into the fourth in Game 1, but that didn't deter him from staying aggressive with his shot. And when things opened up for Brown, they started to open up for everyone. White's three from Brown was the start of Boston's commanding 17-0 run to pilfer a Game 1 win away from the Warriors.
"I give credit to every guy in that locker room from top to bottom. We got a great, resilient group," Brown said after the win. "The chain is only as strong at its weakest link. Everybody comes to work every single day, not just players, but coaching staff, medical staff, weight training, everybody. It's an all-around collective effort every single night and everybody did their job."
The Celtics can survive Tatum scoring only a dozen points if Brown is going to go off like he did in Game 1. And with all the attention that Tatum received from the Golden State defense throughout the opening contest, Boston is going to need Brown and others to step up big the rest of the way.
Boston isn't expecting another off night like Game 1 from its superstar player. But if it happens, Brown and everyone else will be ready to pick up the slack. That is what it has been all about for the Celtics this season, and that won't stop on the biggest stage of the game.
"We win as a team. I know the media likes to push the narrative between certain players, but it's a team game," said Brown. "The best team is going to win, not the best individual player. We just got to keep playing as a team and we'll be all right."