Between the first and second games of the series, both in Boston, Jason Kidd was trying to put some mud in the Celtics locker room. The Dallas coach, after the beating in the first game, assured in a press conference that Jaylen Brown was the best player of these Celtics. Ahead of Jayson Tatum, whom he did not mention but pointed out, or any other of Boston’s deep squad. Jaylen Brown’s response, two wins in a row with two of his baskets as a dagger, averaging 24.3 points in the finals and leading the Celtics to the long-awaited 18th ring, just one win away. He has worn the shirt of best player, of reference, of star, on both sides of the court.
He has done it based on exhibitions. Against Indiana he hit the triple to force overtime in the first game and scored 40 in the second, putting the series on the line before taking the MVP of the Eastern finals. Tatum finished with better numbers and worse percentages, but the press chose, like Jason Kidd, Jaylen Brown as the best player. And Brown himself has appreciated it. “The team has trusted me, in who I am, and I feel like I have been able to deliver,” said Jaylen. after the third game, which leaves the Celtics just one win away from the title. “I don’t have words to describe it,” Brown responded. “It doesn’t feel real right now. I try to be in the moment. It’s good to be 3-0 up, but the job is by no means finished,” he said.
It hasn’t always been like this at all. Last year’s season ended with a resounding failure by Jaylen Brown. In the seventh game of the Eastern finals, after having overcome a 0-3 deficit against Miami and forcing the final at home, Jayson Tatum was injured in the first attack of the game. He didn’t ask for them, but the team’s honors went to Jaylen, who played one of his worst games, with as many turnovers as shots scored.. He was pointed out harshly, and even more so after signing the largest extension in NBA history, almost $300 million for five seasons. The criticism, constructive and not so much, only shaped the player he is today. Each disrespect fueled his need to improve a little more, and they just keep coming.
Brown was left, to the surprise of many, out of the All NBA and All Defense quintets, his true goal at the beginning of the year: “I didn’t achieve it, but I have been able to demonstrate my versatility in defense at this time.” He left Doncic at 7/12 in the first two games, with 17 points in 94 possessions, when he was his main defender, and Kyrie Irving ended up with as many turnovers as points, two, defended by Brown. Or Derrick White’s famous block, half with Brown. Defensive anchor in a team that has names like Jrue Holiday or White, but that has not hesitated to give the most complex challenge to a Jaylen Brown who thrives in hot moments. And he also does it on both sides of the court, because he is as important in stopping Doncic and Kyrie as he is in scoring points.
He has accumulated seven consecutive games, since the series with Indiana began, with 20 points or more and at least 50% shooting, tying the franchise record in the playoff held by Larry Bird. He scored 30 points, with 8 rebounds and 8 assists in the third game, figures that had only been achieved in the finals by John Havlicek for Boston, and he was one of two players with 30+ points, along with Tatum. Only Havlicek and Bailey Howell had achieved that milestone as a couple before. It is also the sixth couple that achieves those 30 points with each one adding at least 5 assists and rebounds, something that Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic achieved last year, for example, or Jerry West who died this afternoon, along with Elgin Baylor in 1968.
And in Brown’s case, in the hot minutes: leading scorer in the clutch (last five minutes with the game at five points or less) in these finals with 6 points, 3/4 in shots. No one else has made two baskets, and Brown is at three. He has 18 points in these playoffs in tight finals and has earned himself the role of reference for these Celtics. At least in these playoffs, and with the permission of a Tatum who has perfected the choral game. The debate about whether he is the best player on the team remains for another time, but the MVP of the finals right now would be his.
