This is the Jaylen Brown vs. Donovan Mitchell series

Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell have crossed paths earlier than. They had been teammates on that 2019 FIBA World Cup Group USA with then present, former, and future Celtics Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker, Marcus Sensible, and Derrick White, however their bromance didn’t actually begin till the Orlando bubble. Who might neglect this meet cute content material (language NSFW)?

Since then, they’ve grow to be energetic members of the NBPA government board collectively, most just lately hooking up at Sanctuary final summer season and showing on Level Ahead, a podcast hosted by Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner. Mitchell additionally participated in considered one of Brown’s slam dunks on All-Star Saturday.

Sadly, the 2 associates are actually frenemies as a result of it’s all enjoyable and video games till, properly, they’re postseason video games.

“Ain’t no associates within the playoffs,” Brown mentioned after Monday’s follow, making ready to face Mitchell and the Cavaliers in Spherical 2.

The sentiments are mutual for Mitchell. “Two of my associates, however to be sincere, I ended speaking to them once we noticed how the [bracket] was going to determine,” he mentioned of probably dealing with Brown and Jayson Tatum. “It’s all competitors. I anticipate nothing however the most effective from them and vice versa.”

There are going to be a whole bunch of choices and changes made all through the sequence that received’t contain Mitchell or Brown. Will the Celtics use the three-point differential of their favor? Can Max Strus and Caris LeVert grow to be TD Backyard villains once more as Cavaliers? Does the sequence pivot on the success of Evan Mobley? However in crunch time, video games and in the end the sequence might come all the way down to Cleveland’s most explosive offensive participant going up in opposition to Boston’s finest probability to cease him.

For many of the common season and notably within the later half, Brown has embraced the function of defensive stopper and brought on the more difficult one-on-one assignments. In 5 minutes defending Luka Doncic final March, the MVP candidate solely received up 4 photographs and made two. In practically eighteen minutes checking Anthony Edwards within the common season, Edwards shot simply 6-of-13 with two turnovers.

However Mitchell is a unique animal. He was a power in opposition to Orlando, scoring 89 factors in Video games 6 and seven and capturing a whopping 33 free throws over the past three video games of that sequence. He’s on a gimpy knee that robbed him of 13 video games in March, however even Mitchell at 80-90% is harmful. He isn’t a artful foul service provider like Jalen Brunson. As a substitute, Mitchell is a hit-the-hole-hard sort operating again with the flexibility of an choice QB.

In Brown’s personal phrases, “Donovan is a explosive, robust, three-level scorer. I believe his power offers him a bonus on lots of defenders. He’s good at altering course — he’s an excellent basketball participant.”

Derrick White and Jrue Vacation will certainly get their licks on Mitchell, too. They’re two of the most effective on-ball, point-of-attack defenders within the league, however he torched them within the common season (13-of-18 in 74 possessions). By means of 45+ possessions, Brown held him in verify (3-of-6. That is Brown’s sequence to make a marked distinction. Put merely, what Mitchell (6’3, 215 kilos) is in offense, Brown (6’6, 223 kilos) is on protection: a giant physique that may bang with the velocity and agility of a giant cat on the hunt.

A sequence is not determined by two gamers. There are a minimum of eight hundred possessions between now and the top of the convention semis. Nevertheless, a bulk of them, many within the fourth quarter and within the clutch, will hinge on what comes between associates.