BOSTON — Jaylen Brown was nearly unstoppable during the Eastern Conference Finals, leading the Celtics back to the NBA Finals after beating the Indiana Pacers. He made clutch shots, dished out key assists, and held up defense for Boston, and now he has a new trophy.
After dropping 29 points in Boston’s comeback win over the Pacers in Game 4, including 10 in the fourth quarter, Brown was named MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals. He had a goofy look on his face when he heard his name called and was mobbed by teammates as he accepted the Larry Bird Trophy at the podium inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana.
Brown beat out his own teammate Jayson Tatum for the honor. Tatum received five votes to four,
“I didn’t expect it at all,” Brown said after the game. “I never win (expletive). I’m just happy we won.”
Brown was snubbed for the All-NBA Team after his most efficient season in the league. He also failed to make the All-Defensive Team despite his stellar play on that end of the floor while consistently guarding the other team’s best player. He said the All-Defensive snub hurt him more than not receiving All-NBA recognition.
“I think I’m one of the best two-way wing/guards in the game,” Brown said. “I think I should have been All-Defensive, and that hurt me the most. That’s something I decided to do this offseason and wanted to be. But I stopped caring about it and I just go with it. I don’t care who sees what, as long as my team, my city and my family understand my value.”
Boston fans certainly understand Brown’s value, though they’re probably hoping the NBA continues to ignore Brown. While this upsets him, it also brings out the best in him on the field.
Brown was outstanding for the Celtics in the Conference Finals, averaging 29.8 points on 51.7 percent shooting throughout the series. He added 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game for Boston.
The series started with the Pacers nearly stealing Game 1 in Boston, but Brown hit a game-tying three with 5.7 seconds left to put the Celtics back in front. While Jayson Tatum’s 10 points in overtime capped that Game 1 win, Brown scored 40 points in Game 2 to lead the C’s to a 126-110 victory. He scored 24 points in Boston’s comeback win in Game 3 on Saturday night and then sparked another comeback in Game 4.
He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter on Monday, but Brown’s two biggest plays didn’t involve putting the ball in the hoop. He tied the game at 102-102 by blocking Andrew Nembhard with 1:04 on the clock, and then made an incredible read to set up Derrick White moving into the corner with 44 seconds left, leading to the game-winning three-pointer.
“He’s unbelievable,” White said of Brown. “I knew he was unbelievable when I got here, but the best thing about JB is he’s gotten better every year in this league. It’s a testament to his hard work and dedication. He was unbelievable on both sides of the ball this whole series, a complete player you don’t really see these days.”
“You can’t shake him,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “His short-term memory is great, if he misses a shot it never affects the next shot. I like his balance and his ability to attack. He just makes plays. He’s not defined by scoring. It was a great pass and I had full confidence he would read it. It was a great read.”
Brown felt a lot of pressure this season after signing the most expensive contract in NBA history this summer. But he not only took his game to a new level in his eighth NBA season, but he also became a much more vocal leader on the floor and in the locker room.
“We had some players leave, so I wanted to make sure that void was filled. One of my brothers, Marcus Smart, was traded and he was one of the voices on our team. When he wasn’t here, I wanted to make sure I stepped up and everybody understood what I was saying and understood what the standard was,” Brown said. “We didn’t skip a step all season; I thought we played every game the right way, held everybody accountable, and this is the result of that.”
Now Brown and the Celtics are back in the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. It’s been a full year of building for the team, and now it’s time to finish the job.
With just over a week until the Finals, Brown’s doubters will find something to criticize about his impressive Eastern Conference Finals run. As always, Brown says pay it forward.
“You just embrace it. I’m at that stage of my life where I embrace forms of negativity,” he said. “Some things I don’t understand, but I know who I am and what I stand for. Sometimes it makes people uncomfortable and sometimes I lose out on things, opportunities, awards, marketing deals. At this point, I just embrace it. I am who I am and I stand by my beliefs. I could die for what I believe in.”
“I’m grateful to be in this position, and the energy is going to change,” Brown said.
