Jaylen Brown took matters into his own hands this Thursday evening, as he guided the Celtics to a 126-110 victory that now places them 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Pacers. The star guard matched his own career-playoff record by hitting 40 points.
The 27-year-old had an extra motivation last night, as he was snubbed off from every All-NBA teams this campaign, and set out to prove why he deserves to be the highest-paid player in the league.
After the match, his coach explained why he thinks JB used this situation in his favour. “I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him, and I think he doesn’t really care about it at all,” Joe Mazzulla said. “He understands that winning is the most important thing. He just cares about the right stuff.”
JAYLEN BROWN 40 BALL 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/itOTMEeIXU
— ESPN (@espn) May 24, 2024
Jaylen has been detrimental throughout the playoffs, as he comes from dropping in a game-saving shot from beyond the arc that sent Game 1 into overtime and eventually transformed into Boston’s triumph.
When the player was asked about the All-NBA snub, he denied that it served him as motivation. “I wouldn’t say that,” Brown replied by insinuating that all he cares is about collective titles. “We’re two games from the finals. I don’t got time to (care).”
Last season, the starting guard was selected to the All-NBA second team, which qualified him for a five-year supermax contract extension. Despite missing out on the honour this campaign, teammate Jrue Holiday believes that he’s still the same leader that guided the squad last season.
“I mean, he has it going,” said the former Bucks athlete. “Y’all see what I see. Great player. Great leader. But wants to win. And takes thinks into his own hands. So I’m glad to have him on my side. I ride with him. The way JB’s been playing, man, it’s outstanding.”
Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton leaves Game 2 due to left hamstring
Unfortunately for Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton had to leave Game 2 in the third quarter due to an injury in his left hamstring. The team expected him to make his way back as they trailed behind Boston, but he did not return as his leg was sore.
His coach Rick Carlisle explained how their superstar had aggravated an injury he had endured earlier in the campaign, and that the team will evaluate his condition this Friday. The team hopes he will be back for Game 3 and 4, as the series head to Indianapolis.
“He was sore at halftime,” Carlisle said after the game. “He was getting work done for the entirety of halftime. He came out, gave it a shot and all the effort that he could. I haven’t talked about it directly to him, so I can’t read minds, but it wasn’t going well. The trainers determined he had to be brought to the back to be worked on, and then he was ruled out.”
His teammate Pascal Siakam lamented the fact that his point guard fell to the same injury that kept him out of 10 matches back in January. “We need Ty, but ‘next man’ mentality,” said the center, who scored 28 last night. “We’ve got to play together. This team got where we’re at by playing together. … It’s on us to continue.”
