Through two games, it’s been Jaylen Brown’s Eastern Conference Finals
After hitting the biggest single shot of Game 1, Jaylen Brown came back with a dominant all-around performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
In Game 1 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown played hero with his game-tying fadeaway three-point shot that sent the game to overtime. How did he top that in Game 2 on Thursday? By taking the game over from the beginning.
Brown followed up his 26-point performance in Game 1 by tying his career playoff-high with 40 points in Game 2. He shot 14-of-27 from the floor, 4-of-10 from three, and 8-of-11 from the free throw line. He also added five rebounds.
During the Celtics’ 17-0 run to start the second quarter, Brown was crucial. He scored 10 of Boston’s 17 points in that stretch, which ended up being a deciding factor in a game the C’s won by 16 points, 126-110.
WATCH: Jaylen Brown Game 2 highlights
“Being aggressive,” Brown said of his approach. “Wanted to get out in transition and run. But, wanted to attack their smaller guards, put pressure on them, get to the basket and get to the free throw line.”
“Just making the right play,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame when asked what was working for Brown on Thursday night. “Poise. Patience. Discipline. Proper actions, getting the right spacing, and picking and choosing his spots really well, whether it was in transition or in the half-court. So, just continues to get better and better. He takes a lot of pride in his ability to impact games in different ways, and I thought he did that tonight.”
This all comes after Brown was snubbed from the All-NBA teams, which were announced on Wednesday. After being named to the All-NBA second-team last year, Brown was the first person left off the 15-player list for this season. Was that snub motivation for Brown?
“Nah, I wouldn’t say that,” he replied when asked that question after the game.
So, what would he say?
“We’re two games from the Finals. Honestly, I don’t got the time to give a f–k.”
Mazzulla was able to shed some more light on how Brown has handled the snub.
“How’s he handling that? I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him, and I think he doesn’t really care about it at all because he understands that winning is the most important thing,” Mazzulla said after Game 2. “He has a growth mindset. He just cares about the right stuff. But you know, I honestly, I think stuff like that does motivate him, but I know he also really wants to win.”
How will Brown’s hot streak translate to the road? That will be something to watch when the series shifts to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday. Coverage of both games can be heard on the BetMGM 98.5 The Sports Hub Celtics Radio Network, with pregame coverage beginning half and hour before the scheduled start time.
Celtics take 2-0 lead over Pacers after Jaylen Brown masterclass
On Thursday night at the Garden the Boston Celtics hosted the Indiana Pacers looking to take a 2-0 series lead after a miraculous rabbit out of the hat win in game 1. The Celtics got late game heroics from Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum to come back from the brink of defeat and steal one from Indiana. The questions heading into game 2 would mostly all be on how Indiana would react to letting one get away in game 1.
First Quarter:
Indiana would start off better in game 2 after going down 12-0 early in game 1 they scored the first basket of the night and looked steady early on. A small thing to look for tonight was could a slighted Jaylen Brown who was left off the All-NBA and All-NBA defensive teams be a little extra motivated to show he was deserving of those honors. I don’t think Jaylen needs any more motivation but any possible edge in the playoffs can’t hurt.
Boston would keep it’s same rotations from game 1 as Pritchard and Kornet were the first two players off the bench for the Celtics. Indiana would continue to hit their midrange jumpers early and build an 18-17 lead with 5:11 to go in the first.
Indiana would continue to play well but couldn’t separate themselves as Payton Pritchard would hit a 3 pointer to cut into the Pacers lead with 3:39 left in the first to make it a 23-20 game. The Pacers lights out shooting from midrange would continue as they were 9-14 from the field to start the game. Boston would struggle to hold onto the ball the final 3 minutes of the quarter but Indiana would struggle to capitalize only leading by two 27-25 at the end of the first quarter.
