Getty Draymond Green, Jaylen Brown
When the Boston Celtics faced off against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, the latter had something the former did not: Experience.
During the 2024 NBA All-Star Break, Jaylen Brown revealed that he’s aware of that. Moreso, that won’t be a problem going forward.
Brown met up with Warriors star Draymond Green, where Brown not only praised Green but stressed that the Celtics would be prepared should they make the Finals again.
“Draymond does what Draymond does,” Brown said, per NBA on TNT’s X account. “Just bringing that force to the game… Without him on the floor, some of them championships don’t happen. You know what I mean? That force that he brings on defense and offense, and sometimes it goes a little extreme, but that’s how you win. Draymond has mastered that. When I played against you in the Finals, when you went to that level of just force, we wasn’t ready. But we gonna be ready this time.”
“I appreciate you man. That’s not bad!” 😂🤣
Jaylen Brown wasn’t expecting all the compliments from Draymond
The Celtics will have to get to the NBA Finals again with Jaylen Brown to prove just that first. Even the best players typically don’t succeed the first time they make the NBA Finals. Brown and the Celtics will have the opportunity how ready they are.
Jaylen Brown Explains Celtics’ Mindset in Regular Season
The Celtics went into the All-Star Break with the league’s best record at 43-12. They have a six-game lead over the No. 2 seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because they have a comfortable lead, it can be tough to stay focused.
During the All-Star Break, Jaylen Brown talked about what his mindset to fight off getting complacent as the season progresses.
“It’s tough. It’s a fight. It’s a mentality to be able to focus for long durations of time,” Brown told reporters, per Forbes Sports’ Shane Young’s X account. “I think that’s the challenge and in sports to have that ultimate focus because when you get deeper into the playoffs, the team whose focus breaks first is going to be the team that loses.”
Because of that, Brown explained how staying focused should help them in the postseason.
“Throughout the regular season is when you build endurance for (the playoffs). I think we’ve been doing a good job this year. It’s been the best year in terms of focus on mentality and focus that we’ve had so far. So, I’m feeling strong and confident about our team heading into the playoffs.”
I asked Jaylen Brown how the Celtics fight off complacency in a long regular season, especially being so far ahead of everyone in the East.
His response:
Jaylen Brown’s Thoughts on Jayson Tatum’s MVP Campaign
While talking about what makes a player an MVP candidate, Jaylen Brown explained why he believes Jayson Tatum belongs in the conversation.
“I feel like they move the bar. It’s tough to keep up with it. I feel like they move the bar, but we have some great players. I play with one of them; (Jayson Tatum) should be at the front of that list,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media’s Josue Pavon’s X account.
Brown also acknowledged that Tatum has some stiff competition around the league.
“You also got great players who have been playing really well. (Nikola) Jokic, he’s a beast. Giannis (Antetokounmpo), (Joel) Embiid before he got hurt. Who knows what the actual criteria is to how it goes? I’ve had questions about a lot of different things that goes into stuff, but I guess we’ll see.”
Jaylen Brown when asked about this year’s MVP race:
“It’s tough to keep up with it. I feel like they move the bar, but we have some great players. I play with one of them; JT (Jayson Tatum) should be at the front of that list…”