The headline of the night time would be the Celtics grabbing Sport 4 in a 116-99 blowout in Miami to keep away from a sweep within the Jap Convention Finals. Beneath the fold shall be Jayson Tatum’s 33-11-7 MVP efficiency to stave off elimination. Web page 2 will spotlight Boston’s 18-of-45 from behind the arc, together with Grant Williams hitting 4 of his six three-point makes an attempt and stellar protection in opposition to Jimmy Butler.
Someplace within the small print shall be Jaylen Brown. He struggled in Video games 1, 2, and three, hitting simply 38% of his pictures together with 2-of-20 from behind the arc. Sport 4 wasn’t demonstrably higher; he scored 17 factors on 7-for-16 from the sphere and 2-for-5 from the road. It’s been a battle after carrying such a robust near the common season into the primary two rounds of the playoffs.
However on Tuesday, Brown discovered different methods to contribute.
“I can’t pressure it,” Brown mentioned. “They’re making an attempt to make me a playmaker, so tonight, I feel I did a greater job simply stepping into the paint and kicking it out — we obtained a bonus, made the following cross and had been capable of get some open seems to be just about all night time. I gotta proceed to try this and if I proceed to try this, my shot will begin falling and we’ll be capable of go on just a little run.”
JB had 4 dimes on the night time and a handful of hockey assists. Nevertheless, his largest contribution might have come on the defensive finish. With the Celtics surging within the fourth quarter, additionally they shut down the Warmth defensively. A big a part of that was clamping down Jimmy Butler.
Brown credited the workforce’s connectivity on protection, however individually, he was an enormous a part of limiting what had been Butler’s quarter all sequence up to now. Jimmy Buckets was Jimmy Damaged within the clutch. He made simply one in every of his 5 pictures and grifted his approach to the free throw line 4 instances for 5 factors. Brown outscored him with 6 largely due to his stalwart protection.
The pump fakes, the elbows and shoulders to create area, the flailing — none of that mattered when it mattered most.
“Good was in my ear, letting me know the place the sport was at. ‘Simply hold being aggressive. Maintain making the appropriate play. It ain’t at all times gotta be me placing the ball within the basket.’ I helped us win tonight,” Brown mentioned.
Social media, TV pundits, and even our CelticsBlog Slack have prematurely began fascinated by the offseason with Brown’s pending extension entrance and middle. After an All-NBA Second Group nod this yr, he’s eligible for a supermax of 5 years, $290 million {dollars}. As aforementioned, it’s been powerful sledding within the convention finals for the six-year professional and it’s pure to consider what the long run holds the Celtics famous person.
Brown is just fascinated by Sport 5 at TD Backyard on Thursday night time.
“We wish to come again to Miami,” Brown mentioned. “If that occurs, I really feel like we’ll be ok with ourselves. The subsequent one must be enjoyable, it must be an enormous one, and we’re going to come back able to play.”
Earlier than Sport 4, the Celtics had an off-the-cuff workforce assembly. Brown wouldn’t delve into particulars an excessive amount of and even simmered at among the hypothesis that has circled the workforce since arriving in South Seaside. As one of many cornerstones of the franchise and now the league, he’s taking over extra management tasks with the gamers’ union and as an lively member of the town of Boston. These expertise are simply as prevalent within the Celtics’ locker room.
“Simply coming collectively, speaking it out,” Brown mentioned of his teammates’ bond. “A variety of instances, while you get up to now down 3-0, locker rooms and groups begin to go within the different path. We wished to be sure that we stayed collectively. We wished to be sure that we glance one another within the eye. We got here out right now and put our greatest foot ahead. I’m happy with our group for doing that.”
It’s laborious to think about that Brown wasn’t a big a part of these conversations. And whereas his field rating statistics don’t precisely characterize his play, his on courtroom contributions loomed massive in an enormous Sport 4 win.
