Jaylen Brown had an important message for the Celtics after winning Game 1 of the NBA Finals
BOSTON -- The Celtics were rightfully amped after taking a 1-0 lead over the Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Thursday night. Boston raced out to a big lead in the first half, and then overcame some adversity as Dallas got uncomfortably close in the third quarter.
There was a lot to feel good about Thursday night's win, and it's not just that the Celtics are now up 1-0 in the NBA Finals. Kristaps Porzingis exploded for 20 points in his return and gave the team a massive boost in the first half. Jaylen Brown continued to be a monster and a leader as he shows everyone why he deserves that max contract extension that he received last summer. And the Boston defense continued its trend of shutting down an opposing offenses, as it rendered Kyrie Irving useless and made Luka Doncic's 30-point performance meaningless in Game 1.
Boston is now three wins away from a title, but the Celtics know their job is far from complete. Brown made sure to make that crystal clear after Boston's 18-point victory on Thursday night.
"Don't get cute fellas, this is just one game," he said in the Boston locker room.
Jayson Tatum is Boston's star player, but this certainly feels like Jaylen Brown's team right now. He's been a stud on the floor all season, and has made huge strides to become a leader in the locker room.
When something needs to be said, Brown isn't afraid to say it. And it was an important message that he delivered after Game 1, considering the Celtics are 1-2 in their previous Game 2s this postseason.
It certainly helps that Brown's play has been doing a lot of talking too. He led the way for Boston with 22 points in Game 1, and he was a big reason the Celtics bounced back and retook control of the game after Dallas had cut their lead to just eight points in the third quarter.
The Celtics led by 29 points in the second quarter, but Doncic drained a three with 4:28 left in the third to make it a 72-64 game. With his team stuck in a 2-for-10 shooting slump to start the frame, Joe Mazzulla called a timeout to rally the troops and get their heads right.
Boston responded with a 14-0 run to retake control of the game, with Brown's dynamic two-way game leading the charge. He scored six points and capped the run with a three with 34 seconds left to boost Boston's lead to 86-64. During the stretch, Brown blocked three shots, including an emphatic rejection of Kryie Irving.
Just when it looked like the game could slip away, the Celtics dominated for nearly four minutes. Brown may have led the way, but everyone got involved. In addition to Brown's three blocks, Boston forced two turnovers. Tatum pulled down an offensive board, one of his 11 rebounds on the night, and fed it to Porzingis for an emphatic dunk. Brown found an open Al Horford for a three right before he blocked Irving and hit his own triple.
When the Celtics were hit with some adversity and had to buckle down, they strapped in and locked down on both ends of the floor.
"When they cut it to eight, that's when the game started," Brown said after the win. "I liked how our team responded. We stayed composed. Offensively, we got to our spacing and was able to push that lead back out and make some plays on offense. That was a big third quarter.
"Defense is what we got to hang our hat on," Brown added. "Right there, that [run] was an example of that."
In past postseasons, the Celtics may have wilted in that situation. But they regained their composure during the timeout, and their run to close the quarter made for an anticlimactic final 12 minutes.
"We just said, just breathe," Brown said of the timeout. "The game is starting now. Just breathe. This is a moment where our experience shines through. Just breathe, just keep playing basketball. If you've got a shot that's open, take it with confidence, no turnovers, take care of the basketball and just play our game. We got to get some stops. They made some big shots. Just navigate the run. That was it."
That certainly sounds like a team leader. And Brown's postgame message in the locker room was heard loud and clear as well. Thursday night was a big win, but the Celtics need three more of those to accomplish their goal.
"We just won one game. We know they're going to be better," Derrick White said at the podium. "I think we have seen it in the playoffs this year. Like, [the Mavs] have lost Game 1's and they came back and played better. So just it's one game. We got to learn from it, we got to grow, and understand that we're going to need to play a lot better Game 2."
Brown has always made a point throughout his career to take every slight, every bit of doubt from outsiders and use it as motivation. The result is him becoming an incredible two-way menace, and someone the Celtics can count on when the going gets a little rough.
"When you look at JB, he's somebody that has really worked on his craft year after year to just become a better player," said Tatum. "I think you can tell by the way that the game has slowed down for him and the way he's making reads on the offensive end. That doesn't happen just overnight, it's a process. And I've seen it, I've seen the work that he puts in and watching film and things like that. So it's special to see when guys put in the work and it translates to on the court."
It's also translating off the court, as Brown has taken the reins and become the leader of the Boston Celtics.
