Key Highlights
Jaylen Brown dropped 22 factors, six rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists within the Boston Celtics‘ Recreation 1 rout of the Dallas Mavericks
Brown served as Luka Doncic‘s main defender and compelled two turnovers in opposition to him
The Celtics outscored Dallas by 12 factors throughout Brown’s 37 minutes
Recreation 1 required mere seconds for Jaylen Brown to announce himself. To clarify he could be the preeminent star of the night. To implement he was prepared and keen for an additional crack at hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. To showcase the expansion propelling him to new ranges this season.
After Al Horford gained the tip and guided the ball towards Brown, Kyrie Irving snuck behind him and jarred it free. Brown instantaneously dove to the ground (a recurring theme for him on this one), beat out Irving for possession, and whipped a cross to Derrick White.
Twenty seconds later, Horford shot-faked, drove and packed dwelling a dunk for the opening factors of the evening — an evening outlined by Brown’s multifaceted stardom. All through 37 minutes, the 6-foot-6 wing poured in a team-high 22 factors (65.3 % true taking pictures), six boards, three steals, three blocks and two assists.
He started most possessions guarding Luka Doncic, normally earlier than the half-court line. He sought out Doncic on switches to pressure him into house and ignite driving alternatives. He discovered open teammates when assist collapsed. He plugged gaps as an off-ball defender.
Halfway by means of the third, Doncic rainbowed in a pull-up triple and trimmed Boston’s result in eight — the results of Brown ducking beneath a display in opposition to him and being sluggish to reconnect. Over the next 5 minutes, Brown scored eight factors, swatted three pictures, drew two fouls, logged an help and snagged a rebound. Boston’s lead ballooned from eight to 22.
All through his profession, he’s authored far gaudier scoring performances. However given the gravity of Thursday and his well-rounded signature, it could have been his most spectacular. There was no person higher on the ground than him, and, frankly, it was not all that shut — his solely rival the shot-making and rim safety of Kristaps Porzingis‘ busy 21 minutes.
Brown’s outing illuminated his steadfast strengths: early offense scoring, mismatch attacking, and on-ball chops defensively. It additionally spotlighted his improvement: passing imaginative and prescient, on-ball decision-making, off-ball consciousness defensively, and display navigation.
For a participant whose flaws have generally appeared so obtrusive to distinction his clear, particular superlatives, Recreation 1 deviated from that — a summation of the small leaps he’s loved this season to turn into a notably improved participant.
The arrival of Porzingis and Jrue Vacation undoubtedly vaulted Boston from the excellent crew of years previous to the juggernaut of 2023-24, a 77-20 squad that has been the league’s greatest for practically eight months now. But Brown’s improvement has been equally important. He’s refined a handful of areas sufficient that they’ve coalesced to render him a extra full star, now not saddled by inflexible (albeit, vital) avenues by means of which to ascertain his mark.
From the soar, he defended Doncic. He refused to lunge at fakes, constructed excessive pick-up factors, disrupted any probability of an early offense circulate, and provided a buffer to forestall the sensible star from hurling the Celtics protection into rotation. Their switch-heavy scheme meant he wasn’t chasing Doncic round all sport, however did so sufficient to go away a dent.
Doncic’s particular person manufacturing — 30 factors, 10 rebounds, two steals — popped. However Brown’s point-of-attack efforts had been instrumental in curbing his holistic impression (one help, 4 turnovers, 5 free throw makes an attempt). Dallas’ offensive ranking was simply 95.9 with Doncic on the ground. Whereas that’s not all about Boston and Brown’s execution, it speaks partly to their work.
The Mavericks additionally entered Thursday averaging 3.2 alley-oops per playoff sport. They didn’t have any in Recreation 1. Brown’s rim safety contributed to that. Between the on-ball feistiness and off-ball attentiveness, it was among the best all-around defensive video games of his NBA tenure. He introduced such crucial focus and self-discipline — an amped-up, dialed-in ethos with out the recklessness generally stemming from such bottled vitality.
As a scorer, Brown was selective. He tried solely 12 pictures and drilled seven of them. Even so, the tempo on his drives and method wherein he arrange his strikes had been pristine. Conscious of how you can navigate Dallas’ inside measurement and assist, he wielded management downhill. Doncic was an early and frequent goal for Boston’s offense on switches and Brown took benefit a number of occasions.
Late within the third, he dotted a pull-up triple over Daniel Gafford‘s tardy limbs and kicked off the fourth with a whirling dervish end inside. These buckets punctuated his second half surge, a five-minute knockout guaranteeing the Mavericks’ comeback wouldn’t be seen by means of to completion.
Have been Brown not mired in a chronic free-throw funk (61.9 % within the playoffs, 72 % for his profession) and gone 6-of-11 on the line, his scoring would’ve perked up. Regardless, his slashing proved integral — a bruising, jackknife model to enrich the swirling, loping size of Tatum’s driving.
Within the third quarter, Dereck Vigorous II‘s defensive versatility and rim deterrence posed some points for Boston’s offense. So, throughout a 75-second span, Brown, with intrepid savvy, twice exploded to the rim and drew a pair of fouls in opposition to the rookie heart. The second was his fifth of the sport and prompted him to the pine. Vigorous’s exit slid Kleber as much as heart and shortly after, Gafford re-entered the competition.
Vigorous is Dallas’ greatest large, particularly defensively. Throughout his six-minute stint within the third, the Celtics scored 11 factors. As soon as he sat, they scored 25 over a 9.5-minute interval earlier than head coach Jason Kidd subbed out Doncic and Irving, and emptied the bench down 100-75. Brown’s aggression helped key that.
The Mavericks’ defensive all the time desires to keep up a presence on the rim, ideally a giant. That philosophy has pushed their success by means of three rounds as a result of each opponent has both lacked the spacing or playmaking panache (or each) to punish them.
The Celtics, nevertheless, signify a very completely different problem: a legit five-out offense with the requisite spacing, ball motion and connective passing to flourish. In Recreation 1, Brown sat central to this completely different problem confronting Dallas.
Amongst his most prevalent factors of maturation is kickout passing. If there’s nothing brewing inside as a driver, he’s a lot extra wired to sling reads to the perimeter or towards different launch valves (a la when Boston slots somebody within the dunker spot).
In comparison with prior years, no widespread playmaking proxy — help price, assists per 100 possessions, potential assists — seize this soar nicely. However Brown merely operates with newfound endurance and composure when Plan A is eradicated or the protection sends further our bodies his route.
Dallas desires to bathroom down the paint and gauge gamers’ on-the-fly decision-making. Brown fortunately accepted their method and set the desk for quite a few high quality appears to be like. Three assists undersell his sharp processing.
Recreation 1 was a crew effort for Boston. Seven of the eight rotation gamers cobbled collectively moments, stretches or a whole sport of high-level ball. That’s what’s essential to dismantle an opponent like Dallas. Amid the depth stood Brown. His uncommon blemishes largely occurred on the free-throw line, a spot he earned to enterprise from his personal dominance seconds earlier.
Various elements behind each his resolute excellence and ushering in his best season but converged — a mosaic as to why he’s lengthy been fairly dang good and the way he’s since outgrown that label.
Fueled by all of it, he performed the form of great sport a 22-6-3-3-2 line doesn’t correctly convey, which is the surest sentiment of an important participant doing nice issues. And, boy, did Brown do nice issues Thursday evening.
