Like Jaylen Brown Celtics in court to Jayson Tatum violation

It would have been easy for the exhausted Celtics on Wednesday to admit the defeat and to have an early start in their low season.

After all, they stared at a discouraging 3: 1 series deficit and still processed what they had seen two nights earlier: Jayson Tatum turned from pain from the broken Achilles tendon, which will probably deal with the six-time all-star until someday in 2026.

The discussion about the team had already shifted quickly. The focus was no longer because the Celtics could win a second NBA championship in a row, but on the most important changes in the list to make this low season in order to take into account both the devastating absence of Tatum and the heavenly luxury tax of the franchise.

Tatum's teammates did not shared this outlook. Jaylen Brown ensured.

When the Celtics spent themselves on Tuesday in their training facility of the Auerbach Center for a walkthrough and film study, Brown and other experienced director Al Horford to the team spoke to the team and pleaded the players, the loss of Tatum as it was, and crush their determination.

Boston played in game 5 of the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference inspired basketball and avoided removal with a 127-102 slut from the New York Knicks in the TD Garden. Another victory on Friday in Madison Square Garden would force a winner game 7 game in Boston on Monday in Boston.

“(The message was) just come out and play,” said Brown. “Obviously, the air left the room after hearing the news with JT. So we didn't want to go out. We didn't want to make an excuses. We didn't want to give up or just turn on the season, as everyone else would expect. So we just said to the boys, and the season is open to each other.”

Brown also led his team on the pitch. With 9-of-17 shootout he scored 26 points (3 out of 5 from the 3-point range), won eight rebounds and distributed 12 assists, a new career high for the professional of the ninth year. Brown cleaned his sales and pollution (two each) after fighting in both areas in game 4, and he made a series of impact games that flooded via the box score, especially his Marcus Smart-like dive into the Celtics bank to save a loose ball and die in a quick break.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla believed that the Hustle game played for the Celtics “Change the Game”, who had a slim one-point lead at that time. Two minutes later they stood at 14.

“I think his leadership has the defensive end, only with his physicality and presence,” said Mazzulla. “I thought his immersion in the bank changed the game for us. There were other groundbreaking games, but I thought that was one of them. He was just great at all levels. They just took it to protect (Jalen) Brunson, to give the tone, and he did so at both ends.”

Celtics Guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White were primarily responsible in the first four games in the series to protect Brunson, New York All-Star Point Guard and the leading goal scorer, but Brown took over this order against more than half of the possessions on Wednesday than both were on the ground. Brunson scored 22 points at 7-of-17 shooting before remaining with more than seven minutes.

Brown also had a hand because he often aimed Brunson and Karl Anthony cities as a defender in the second half. In the third quarter alone, Brunson was called five fouls, and the cities took its fourth shortly after half -time.

“(Brunsons) hard,” said Brown. “I give him all the recognition of the world. He is hard. He uses his body well. He is physically. He knows how to sell and get these calls. He is smart. He makes hard shots and he likes these big moments. My goal was to simply stay between him and the basket and simply play the defense.”

After the Celtics approved 121 points in a “terrible” defense performance on Monday, they kept the Knicks for the fourth time in the series under 105 points in the regulation. Boston aggressively achieved an average of 1.396 points per possession, the third best individual game mark from every team in this post-season. Brown's personal 145.8 -offensive evaluation was his best in every playoff game in which he played for more than six minutes.

“JB was unbelievable, both sides of the ball, all the time when he was out there,” said White, who headed all the scorers with 34 points and scored seven 3-point toilers, three of whom fell off Brown Assists. “He took it all to get us going, and we only followed his lead. Great game for 48 minutes and he really wore us.”

It was the type of all-round excellence that urgently needed the Celtics from the NBA final 2024 MVP, which also came through in the only game in the playoffs (36 points, 12-from 19, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal in a game 2 victory over Orlando). And you will need more of it in motion.

After Tatum will probably be missed at least a large part of the next season, Brown is the first time for the foreseeable future of the top stars of the Celtics das that he held this title in his pro-career.

“(I want) just be like that, and I think that's it,” said Brown. “Be myself, come out, be aggressive and let it do it in a variety of ways. It is a team, we have always been a team. I have always preached a team. I did everything to get this team forward. So whatever is needed for me.

Originally published: May 15, 2025 at 8:57 a.m. Edt

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