BOSTON — When the Celtics desperately wanted a final-second uplifting, Jaylen Brown answered the decision and delivered the most important playoff second of his eight-year profession, and on the excellent second.
Returning to the Jap Convention finals for a 3rd consecutive time, the Celtics hosted the sixth-seeded Pacers, after going 3-2 with Indiana throughout the common season. Boston’s 12-0 run to start the evening didn’t preview what would unfold the remainder of the best way because the Pacers went toe-to-toe, matching the Celtics till snagging a good fourth-quarter lead which led to many — together with Boston’s followers — counting the C’s out of Recreation 1.
That was till Brown made his presence felt and at the absolute best time.
“Down three we would have liked an enormous shot and large play to increase the sport,” Brown stated after Boston’s 133-128 win over Indiana.
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After deflecting an inbounds try whereas guarding Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, with 10 seconds left in regulation, Brown secured new life for the Celtics. After which off an inbound move from teammate Jrue Vacation, Brown knotted the sport even at 117 a bit by nailing a clutch and heavily-contested 3-pointer, sending Recreation 1 into extra time.
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Brown recalled his thought course of earlier than the shot: “I used to be simply telling myself, ‘If I get this shot, it’s entering into.’ And I used to be simply telling myself the entire time, ‘Should you get it, it’s going up and it’s entering into.’”
It was, by far, the most important second of the evening and capped off an elite rise-to-the-occasion state of affairs from Brown, who completed with 26 factors on 10-for-20 capturing with seven rebounds and three steals. Brown rejuvenated a comparatively mundane stretch from the Celtics after repeated failed makes an attempt at getting over the hump and put the Pacers away with out leaving the TD Backyard crowd on the sting of its seats biting its nails in worry.
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“It’s easy. Huge-time gamers make big-time performs,” Jayson Tatum stated. “That was a hell of a shot he made. The deflection to offer us a possibility to make that shot. … That is the definition of a crew win.”
Brown re-energized the trustworthy Celtics followers nonetheless round for the ultimate seconds of the fourth quarter whereas the crew didn’t squander its second shot at crossing the end line. It wasn’t fairly and it wasn’t simple, however the Celtics understood that and didn’t waver on the uncomfortable.
“Welcome to the NBA playoffs,” Brown stated. “You simply gotta handle your feelings of the sport. Something can occur. The sport shouldn’t be over till the ultimate buzzer sounds and that was a very good instance of that. We was capable of flip them over slightly bit in direction of the tip; one with Haliburton on the sidelines and I used to be capable of get the deflection off of Siakam, that simply prolonged the sport. It’s not over till it’s over.”
