Watch: Jaylen Brown's big second quarter lifts Celtics to halftime lead

Brown followed up his heroic Game 1 by scoring 24 points in the first half of Game 2, guiding Boston to a 57-51 halftime lead. It's the second-biggest first half of his playoff career, behind only another Game 2, against the Milwaukee Bucks, in 2022.

He did by pushing the pace and getting to the free throw line, where he shot 6-for-8. After Boston forced 10 turnovers and outrebounded Indiana, 25-17, the result was many transition opportunities for Brown and the Celtics.

Especially with Myles Turner limited to 12 minutes with foul trouble, Brown had plenty of opportunities to get to the basket. He went 6-for-10 on two-pointers and grabbed two big offensive rebounds, one of 10 Boston had on the offensive glass.

Brown got 50 third-team votes for All-NBA, racking up easily the most points of anyone who didn't make either team. While we're sure the Celtics wanted their teammate to receive those honors, they're not unhappy to see him so motivated.