What a difference a year makes.
12 months ago, fans at TD Garden rained down boos as the Celtics surrendered a 2-0 lead to the Heat in the conference finals en route to a 4-3 series loss. The C's were similarly booed by their fans after they dropped a crucial Game 5 to the Sixers in the conference semifinals last year.
During that stretch, Jaylen Brown routinely called out Celtics fans for bringing lackluster energy and for not supporting his team when they needed their support.
When Brown was named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP on Monday, his first comments were a callback to those dark days from a year ago.
"We were in this building not too long ago getting boos," Brown said on the podium.
Technically, Brown made those comments at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home arena of the Pacers, not the TD Garden. However, his message was directed to the Celtics faithful.
After last year's postseason flameout, the Celtics were widely written off by many pundits who urged the franchise to break up the duo of Brown and Jayson Tatum. Some even called for the dismissal of head coach Joe Mazzulla. Brown was admittedly motivated by those naysayers.
"It's been nothing but a grind," Brown said of the yearlong wait to return to the playoffs stage. "We haven't skipped any steps all season. We've got a bunch of great guys in this locker room. Our coaching staff and front office has been great. Now, we want to take it to the next step."
The "next step" entails Boston hanging banner No. 18 within the next few weeks. If the C's fail to complete the mission, those fans at TD Garden could return to their booing ways.
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