NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 21, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 3: Postgame

Heat 109, Celtics 103

Q. Jaylen, Ime said everybody knew that Miami was going to respond, they were going to be different, they were going to play better and they felt embarrassed in Game 2. What happened when you guys fell behind 39-18, what exactly happened the first 20 minutes?

JAYLEN BROWN: We started out flat. Seemed like we was looking around too much instead of playing the game, and they got it going and they got stops and made shots, and we didn't in the first half. But we didn't match their intensity out of the gate.

Q. Your personal turnovers seemed like just kind of grabbing at the ball, knocking it away. What can you do to be more secure with the ball?

JAYLEN BROWN: To be stronger. Did a s--- job today taking care of the basketball, but just being stronger, driving them and keep being aggressive and keep getting to the basket and keep doing what I do but be stronger when I get in there. They let a lot of stuff go tonight, especially when I feel like I drive and I get to the basket, I feel like it's two hands on me all the time. I never get those hand-checking calls.

But I don't make excuses. We get better. I did a s--- job taking care of the ball today. I've got to do better.

Q. On some of those turnovers you get caught kind of over penetrating. Is that a function of you trying to -- do you think maybe trying to do too much, or do you feel like you're trying to make a play? What's going on in those particular situations?

JAYLEN BROWN: What you think? I'm trying to be aggressive, trying to make a play for our team. We were down 25. We was playing with a lack of emphasis. We need to play with some heart, some aggression. I tried to come out in the second half especially and just be aggressive and just ignite our team.

Some of them led into turnovers, some were unforced, some were from fatigue. But you don't make excuses, you get back and you be better for the next game.

I'm aggressive, and I'm going to continue to be aggressive. I got to the basket whenever I wanted tonight. Just got to make sure that as a unit we're all ready to play from the jump.

Q. You guys pride yourselves on being the more physical team throughout the year. Is it disappointing to you that through the first couple games in the series you guys haven't been able to consistently be the more physical team against Miami?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, it is a little bit, but we knew who Miami is. That's what they pride themselves on is physicality. If we want to win this series, we've got to match that intensity. We've just got to man up.

Bam was too comfortable in the paint. Loose balls seemed to just bounce in their direction, and they outplayed us tonight. First half, we dug ourselves in a hole. Second half, we still had opportunities, and it just seemed like everything was going in the opposite direction.

But come back next game on our home floor, try to get a win.

Q. They pushed the pace right away. Kyle Lowry was kicking ahead right off the first play of the game. It looked like you tried to start one-man breaks as much as possible to keep up with their pace, but why do you feel like the whole collective team wasn't able to maintain that same pace all night?

JAYLEN BROWN: Just one of those games. We didn't come out with the right intensity or we didn't come out with the same intensity as them as a unit, and it showed. They came out all connected with urgency. Defensively we gave up a lot of points. Defensively they were more physical than us, and it showed in the first half especially, and then we tried to dig ourselves out in the second half and fell short.