Brown saves Celtics’ season with elite performance, improved playmaking originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown stepped up when the Boston Celtics needed him most in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
With the Celtics facing elimination and Jayson Tatum out indefinitely due to a ruptured Achilles, Brown posted a near triple-double with 26 points, a playoff career-high 12 assists and eight rebounds, along with only two turnovers in Boston’s 127-102 victory at TD Garden.
Brown was efficient as a shooter, hitting nine of 17 shot attempts (3-for-5 from 3-point range). He didn’t settle for bad shots and just took what the defense gave him. The Knicks played well in the first half and even built an eight-point lead at one point in the second quarter, but the Celtics went into halftime tied thanks in large part to Brown’s 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists through two quarters.
Brown was super aggressive offensively but did it in a controlled manner. He drew nine fouls in the game — at least three more than any other player on both teams — including the sixth foul on Knicks star Jalen Brunson that knocked him out of the game with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter.
But the biggest impact Brown had on Boston’s win wasn’t his scoring. It was his playmaking. Brown struck a near-perfect balance between being a primary scorer and getting his teammates involved.
His first assist to Luke Kornet (watch here) in the first quarter was a good example. Brown took advantage of the smaller Brunson to get to the basket, and instead of trying to shoot over the help defense of Karl-Anthony Towns, he made a tremendous pass to the Celtics center.
In the fourth quarter, Brown took advantage of a slower Mitchell Robinson and drove to the basket. Again, instead of trying to shoot over the help defense from Towns, Brown switched hands and made a great pass to Jrue Holiday for an easy basket (watch here).
Later in the fourth quarter, Brown hit a rolling Kornet for an alley-oop that brought the Celtics crowd to its feet.
Brown has shown flashes of improved playmaking in the past, but it’s not known as a staple of his skill set. But with Tatum out of the lineup for the rest of the playoffs, Brown had to become more of a facilitator, and he passed the test.
“Just being poised,” Brown said of his passing after the game. “Seeing the help, seeing the defense and making right reads over and over again. Just getting to the paint, what I like to do, and then they were collapsing. Our guys were moving, we played with pace, and I was able to find guys on open shots.”
Brown’s defense was strong in Game 5, too. The Knicks shot just 6-for-16 when Brown was the primary defender. He also did a good job on Brunson, guarding the Knicks guard on 42 percent of his possessions and limiting his effectiveness. Brown also has guarded OG Anunoby for 9:04 in the last two games, and the Knicks forward has scored zero points on 0-for-4 shooting during that time.
Brown won the hustle battle in Game 5 as well. He accounted for six of the Celtics’ 12 deflections, and he saved a possession by diving into Boston’s bench for a loose ball early in the third quarter with his team up 63-62.
“I think his leadership came on the defensive end,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “Just his physicality and his presence to dive into the bench kind of changed the game for us. There were other game-changing plays, but I thought that was one of them.
“He was great on all levels. He took it upon himself to guard Brunson and set the tone, and he did that on both ends.”
The Celtics still have plenty of work to do. They need to win two more games in a row to complete the comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth straight year.
Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night might be the toughest game the Celtics have played in a long time. The MSG crowd will be super intense with the Knicks having a chance to secure their first conference finals berth in 25 years.
The Celtics will need a fast start to take the crowd out of the game, and Brown will play a huge part in that. He gave a phenomenal performance at both ends of the floor to extend the Celtics’ season in Game 5. Can he do it again?
Brown saves Celtics’ season with elite performance, improved playmaking
Brown had a playoff career-high 12 assists in Boston’s Game 5 win vs. Knicks.
Jaylen Brown stepped up when the Boston Celtics needed him most in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series versus the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
With the Celtics facing elimination and Jayson Tatum unable to play due to injury, Brown posted a near triple-double with 26 points, a playoff career-high 12 assists and eight rebounds, along with only two turnovers in Boston’s 127-102 victory at TD Garden.
Brown was efficient as a shooter, hitting nine of 17 shot attempts (3-for-5 from 3-point range). He didn’t settle for bad shots and just took what the defense gave him. The Knicks played well in the first half and even built an eight-point lead at one point in the second quarter, but the Celtics went into halftime tied thanks in large part to Brown’s 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists through two quarters.
SIGN UP HERE Brown was super aggressive offensively but did it in a controlled manner. He drew nine fouls in the game — at least three more than any other player on both teams — including Knicks star Jalen Brunson’s sixth foul that knocked him out of the game with 7:19 left in the fourth quarter.
But the real impact Brown had on Boston’s win wasn’t scoring. It was his playmaking. Brown struck a near-perfect balance between being a primary scorer and getting his teammates involved.
This dish to Luke Kornet in the first quarter was a good example. Brown took advantage of the smaller Brunson to get to the basket, and instead of trying to shoot over the help defense of Karl-Anthony Towns, he made a tremendous pass to the Celtics center.
In the fourth quarter, Brown took advantage of a slower Mitchell Robinson and drove to the basket. Again, instead of trying to shoot over the help defense from Towns, Brown switched hands and made a great pass to Jrue Holiday for an easy basket.
Later in the fourth quarter, Brown hit a rolling Kornet for an alley-oop that brought the Celtics crowd to its feet.
Brown has shown flashes of improved playmaking in the past, but it’s not known as a staple of his skill set. But with Tatum out of the lineup for the rest of the playoffs, Brown had to become more of a facilitator, and he passed the test.
Brown’s defense was strong in Game 5, too. The Knicks shot just 6-for-16 when Brown was the primary defender. He also did a good job on Brunson, guarding the Knicks guard on 42 percent of his possessions and limiting his effectiveness. Brown also has guarded OG Anunoby for 9:04 in the last two games, and the Knicks forward has scored zero points on 0-for-4 shooting during that time.
Brown won the hustle battle in Game 5 as well. He accounted for six of the Celtics’ 12 deflections, and he saved a possession by diving into Boston’s bench for a loose ball early in the third quarter with his team up 63-62.
“I think his leadership came on the defensive end,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “Just his physicality and his presence to dive into the bench kind of changed the game for us. There were other game-changing plays, but I thought that was one of them. He was great on all levels. He took it upon himself to guard Brunson and set the tone, and he did that on both ends.”
The Celtics still have plenty of work to do. They need to win two more games in a row to complete the comeback and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth straight year.
Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night might be the toughest game the Celtics have played in a long time. The MSG crowd will be super intense with the Knicks having a chance to secure their first conference finals berth in 25 years.
The Celtics will need a fast start to take the crowd out of the game, and Brown will play a huge part in that. He gave a phenomenal performance at both ends of the floor to extend the Celtics’ season in Game 5. Can he do it again?
