Boston’s Jaylen Brown totally loved burning the Golden State Warriors’ defensive sport plan 

Jaylen Brown had by no means seen something prefer it earlier than. To start Sunday’s nationally-televised match-up towards the Warriors, he was left wide-open practically each possession.

Halfway by means of the primary quarter, the Celtics referred to as a timeout, and instantly, his teammates swarmed him. They solely had one message: preserve taking pictures. Each single time.

So, he did. Brown hit three consecutive three-pointers in a 40-second span, and completed with 19 factors within the first interval – probably the most he’s had in any first quarter this season.

“We have been actually grateful for that,” Joe Mazzulla stated of the Warriors sport plan. “Groups are going to protect us in several methods. We simply acquired to remain open-minded to what offers us the very best probability to win. There’s a sport plan, however then when the sport begins, the sport will inform us what we have to do.”

Brown stated after the sport he thought the choice to sag off him was a little bit disrespectful, however not one which he took personally.

“I’m positive they thought that’s what their greatest probability was, whoever got here up with that defensive idea,” Brown stated. “So, it’s not private. It was a little bit disrespectful to me, however it’s what it’s. I got here out and I do what I do greatest.”

Seems the sport plan was a last-minute determination — a minimum of that’s what Draymond Inexperienced advised reporters after the sport: “I don’t suppose we actually performed a full defensive technique to sort of dive into that. We carried out our technique quarter-hour earlier than we left the locker room.”

The Celtics got here away with a dominant 140-88 win, and Brown completed with 29 factors on 11-19 taking pictures in simply over 22 minutes.

“It didn’t work. Oh nicely, we transfer on,” Inexperienced stated. “It’s okay. I assumed it was enjoyable, making an attempt. I used to be really all for it – let’s attempt it, see if it really works. If it don’t, oh nicely. But when it does, we discovered one thing.”

However the Warriors didn’t discover a dependable sport plan. As an alternative, Brown hit 5 first-quarter three-pointers, a mark that solely Ray Allen has achieved as a Celtic. Brown’s now hit that determine 3 times in his profession, per NBC Sport Boston’s Dick Lipe.

“You attempt various things, you bought to select your match-ups,” Steve Kerr stated after. “We wished Draymond to have the ability to assistance on drives and ensure that we weren’t giving up simple stuff within the paint.”

Steph Curry completed with 4 factors and shot 0-9 from downtown. He advised CLNS Media afterwards that the defensive plan was an try to throw off a Celtics crew that had received ten straight.

“A crew that has that many threats, you attempt to discover some weak spot to see if it’ll throw them off a little bit bit,” Curry stated. “Clearly, it didn’t work.”

Derrick White, like the remainder of the crew, appeared shocked when requested in regards to the defensive scheme.

“JB’s most likely by no means been guarded like that in his life, and simply tried to sort of mess with him, kick us out a little bit bit,” White stated. “We had that timeout, and he simply got here out and made them pay for it, so credit score to JB for positive.”

Al Horford and the remainder of the Celtics made positive to speak to Brown he had the inexperienced mild.

“My teammates empowered me – they have been like, ‘we don’t care in case you shoot each shot down’,” Brown stated. “On this crew, it’s about making the precise performs, letting guys really feel concerned, and I really feel like I’ve been doing that each one season lengthy, and Imma preserve doing that. However, don’t get it twisted.”

Mazzulla echoed that sentiment: “I simply saved saying ‘thanks,’ and saved empowering Jaylen. Credit score to his teammates for empowering him to proceed to play.”

In flip, the Celtics had one among their most dominant wins of the season. They entered halftime main by 44 — the most important halftime lead in franchise historical past.

It wasn’t simply Jaylen Brown both. Jayson Tatum completed the night time with 27 factors, 20 of which got here within the second quarter. White added 14 factors and eight assists, Payton Pritchard exploded for 19 off the bench, and the Celtics put collectively an all-around masterpiece on each ends of the ground.

However the story of the night time remained the perplexing determination to sag off of Brown, who shared after the sport he’d be greater than glad to see different groups undertake that defensive philosophy.

Brown stated he was shocked, and that he’d by no means been guarded like that earlier than. A 35.2% three-point shooter this season, he’s had a handful of robust nights from the perimeter however has in any other case been fairly constant. He stated after the sport that his mindset is mostly to get to the paint and open issues up for everybody else.

“However if you wish to dare me to shoot, we are able to try this too. I assumed it was a little bit disrespectful, however we took benefit of it, and we didn’t look again.”