NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 17, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 1: Postgame

Heat 118, Celtics 107

Q. Jaylen, from your perspective what happened in the third quarter?

JAYLEN BROWN: They went on a run. We got a little bit out of hand, out of sorts, turned the ball over. Just gave up way too many baskets. I think we lost the game in the third quarter.

Q. Jaylen, what is it that makes it that you guys have not been able to pull out of these tailspins in the fourth quarter in Game 5 against Milwaukee, the third quarter here. Why is it that they continue to make their runs? After Ime called the timeout in the third, Jimmy had two steals, two buckets after that. Why can't you guys get that back under control?

JAYLEN BROWN: We come out and we play basketball. Most of the time we play good basketball. Tonight they got the best of us. We do a good job of responding and answering runs for the most part. It's a part of the game. Give credit to Miami; they outplayed us tonight, especially in that third quarter.

I've got to be better. We've got to be better, be more poised in that situation. We'll go look at the film and we'll come back.

Q. Jaylen, obviously Marcus was hopeful that he'd be able to play, couldn't quite do it, and then Al's absence was a pretty big surprise. How does the suddenness of that affect you guys and preparations? I know that's something you guys weren't really prepared for, and how do you bounce back if Al isn't able to play the next game?

JAYLEN BROWN: We've got to be even more disciplined. Obviously, we weren’t prepared to be without Al. We definitely weren’t prepared to be without Al and Smart. It's not an excuse; we've got to be better.

We still had control of the game in the first half. We lost control in the third quarter. We've just got to be better. Got to play better on both sides of the ball, more discipline. We fouled entirely too much, and we let the game slip away from us. That's the story.

Q. Jaylen, felt like Ime was really getting into you guys during one of the timeouts, and I know Marcus was exchanging some words during one of them. What kind of things were being said in timeouts to try to stop those runs during the third?

JAYLEN BROWN: During that time they were the harder-playing team. They were beating us at 50/50 balls, it just seemed like everything was going their way and we were standing around watching, and that's not what we do. We've got to get in there, get in the mix, be more physical, match their physicality, match their intensity, and we didn't.

Like I said before, I've got to be better. I will be better. Celtics have got to be better, and that wasn't our best effort. We've got to put our best foot forward playing against a team like Miami, and they outplayed us tonight.

Q. Jaylen, over your last three games you're averaging over 40 minutes a night. How realistic is it to be able to keep that up?

JAYLEN BROWN: It's very realistic. It's the playoffs. It's [win] or go home. You've got to be able to -- I worked my whole season to be in these moments. My body is fine. I've just got to be able to make the right plays and see the game and read the game, and tonight wasn't my better game doing that. I've got to handle those situations a little bit better.

I got a rhythm going later in the fourth quarter, and I think that's going to carry over into the next game. But I've definitely got to be better for our team.

Q. These first two series you guys had, you're going against KD, Giannis, two giant stars you can see everywhere, the whole defense is kind of focused on them. Then tonight when Miami made that big run, it was a lot of Butler sneaking out of to where to steal the ball, get a box-out, how much did the way he likes to lurk in the shadows throw you guys off tonight?

JAYLEN BROWN: That's what he does. We knew that going in. Obviously, it's a new series tonight so we've got to be able to transition. Tonight wasn't our best night, but we let him get away with too much. Eighteen free throws, that's way too many. We've got to be better. That's all I can say.

Q. Jaylen, along those lines, you guys have been very good at responding after losses all postseason. What kind of things go through your mind as you get ready for Game 2? What kind of things can you learn from a night like this that you need to take into Game 2?

JAYLEN BROWN: You watch the film and you see things. The film doesn't lie, so you get to see where you lost the game. You get to see all the details, and that's what we're looking forward to seeing and breaking down and seeing what we can do to come out and be better the next game. Uncharacteristic of us to give up 118 points, and we can do better. I know we can.

We've got to transition to the next game, almost learn from it, leave it behind and get ready for the next one. That's it.

Q. Going back to Jimmy, how unique of a challenge is he the way that he's playing in this postseason right now?

JAYLEN BROWN: He's comfortable. He's very comfortable right now, and we've got to do a better job of breaking that rhythm that he's in. That's it. We've got to take the challenge.

Q. Jaylen, how do you match their toughness with toughness of your own? Because they seem to have kind of a mental thing going back two years ago with you guys. How do you combat that?

JAYLEN BROWN: We come out and we play basketball. At the end of the day that's what it is. We've got a lot of tough guys in our locker room that won't back down. We were without two of them tonight, but we've got a tough team, resilient team. Hopefully we get some of those guys back, but even if not, we still could play a lot better than we did tonight. I'm looking forward to the next game. We've just got to come out and play better.