The message that Clippers rookie Brandon Boston received from his elder teammates at halftime of L.A.’s win over the Celtics on Wednesday night was simple, and it is one that we should all hope he keeps with him going forward.
“Keep going,” he said he was told. “Just kill. Keep going, make everybody pay.”
Phew, Boston sure did that and could keep doing that as he settles into what could be an increased role off the bench for the Clips. Boston poured in 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting (5-for-8 from the 3-point line) to torch the Celtics and give the Clippers their third win in four games, even with star Paul George sitting out with a minor elbow injury.
Boston, after all has a pretty big chip on his shoulder, having been the No. 51 pick in this year’s draft after once being a Top 10 recruiting prospect before he struggles in one season at Kentucky.
Damn…. BJ Boston with a strong move on Marcus Smart for the layup.
He showed a desire to “make everybody pay” at times during the Wednesday win. At one point in the second quarter, he went directly at Celtics defensive ace Marcus Smart, finished over him with a four-foot floater, then was hit with a technical foul for trash-talking Smart. But Boston wanted to make sure that the Celtics—and maybe the league—knows who he is.
“I just went at Marcus Smart,” Boston said. “Got the bucket and I just went at him. Just tell him, I’m here. Let him know my presence is felt. That I’m not laying back for nobody.”
Dennis Schroder: ‘(Boston) Busted Our A**’
The Boston performance left a lot of the Celtics scratching their heads. Though he is just 20 and had not played much (only 12 games this season), they surely knew he had high-scoring capability from the 46-point performance he put on for Agua Caliente, the Clippers’ G League team, last week.
And if you think the Celtics were not aware of that performance, think again—Boston pointed out that several Celtics were calling him “Mr. 46” during the game, including when he drained a corner 3 in front of the Celtics bench.
“I always hear the talk on both ends,” Boston said. “So just muting that out, just being able to play through everything that is going on during the game, focusing on myself and the team. Doing everything I can to win.”
The Celtics were left impressed.
“He was on the bench and he went off, by the way,” point guard Dennis Schroder said. “Credit to him. He scored 46 in a G League game. We gotta respect everybody. At the end of the day, he came in and busted our a**. He won them the ball game.”
Brandon Boston Keeps Memory of Friend Killed in L.A. Crash
Despite his draft position, Boston has always been a top-line talent. Against the Celtics, too, Boston had extra motivation. He was best friends with another ex-Wildcat, Terrence Clarke, the Massachusetts native who was killed in a car wreck in Los Angeles last spring, months before he had the chance to be selected in the NBA draft. Boston had his friend on his mind as he lit up the Celtics.
“He’d call up screaming,” Boston said. “Excited, bright smile on his face. Just telling me, ‘I told you, I told you so. You’re the best in the world, just keep going.’ That’s the type of relationship we had, he always pushed me to be my best self. I always keep that in the back of my mind. I dedicated this game because he’s from Boston and he wanted to play for Boston. I wanted to go out and play with that chip on my shoulder and his energy just carried me along the way.”
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‘Just Kill, Make Everybody Pay’: Clippers Rookie Adopts Big-Time Approach