The Boston Celtics are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
The way they handled the Miami Heat in the first game of their seven-game series clearly shows the fantastic form they’re enjoying. Even if there’s a tiny caveat of Jimmy Butler not being in the lineup, everyone knew that the Heat were always going to be the underdogs coming into this series.
Jaylen Brown had a solid game in their first duel against the Heat. He finished the game with 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists, and a block in 34 minutes. The fact that neither he nor Jayson Tatum had to step up to control the Heat shows how well the C’s have been playing.
However, he’s aware that the Celtics shouldn’t sit on their laurels. He mentioned that the Heat will be coming in with a hunger unique to the Miami Heat’s culture, and the team must be ready to soften the blow and keep the barrage going.
Jaylen Brown warns against a resurging Miami Heat as the Boston Celtics prepare for Game 2
Brown talked to the press about Game 2 and what the fans can expect from him and the rest of the Celtics. According to NESN’s Gayle Troiani, he and the Celtics will be on the lookout against the Heat:
“They’re going to be hungry, desperate, they’re going to come out fast, even more aggressive,” Brown told reporters after practice at Auerbach Center, according to Boston.com’s Khari Thompson. “They’re going to try to turn us over. Just trying to crash the glass hard, be physical even more, trying to knock us to the ground. Just trying to win that physicality match any way that they can. That’s what I foresee, but we’ll be ready.”
Brown may be overly cautious about a team that’s without their star, but he’s right to be careful. He has been branded as a person who disappears under the brightest lights, and this was emphasized during their loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
It’s unlikely that Brown would be a non-factor in any playoff game for the Boston Celtics, as he averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists a game throughout the regular season.
However, it’s good for him to keep his wits about him to prevent the Heat from making any sort of comeback. It seems like he learned from his previous postseason failures, and it will serve him well in this series and the rest of the 2024 postseason.
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