NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS VS. HEAT

May 27, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 6: Postgame

Heat 111, Celtics 103

Q. Another slow start; what do you attribute the slow start to, and what can you do to avoid that in a Game 7?

JAYLEN BROWN: We've just got to come out and play, come out and respond. Backs are on the wall, Game 7, loser go home. We've got to come out and find a way to win.

Q. You and Jayson had seven total shots in that second half. How do you balance taking what's there and making the right play but also being assertive and knowing for you guys to win, you two are so important to what you guys are doing?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, we've got to keep making the right play. They were doubling me on the match-ups that I had in the second half, and made the right play, D-White got going. But just finding the right balance, like you said, being more assertive. You don't want to force it if you've got two guys on you. I thought I made a lot of right plays tonight, but not enough for us to win.

Q. Jaylen, how difficult was it to keep your composure with all the whistles and everything that was going on?

JAYLEN BROWN: Definitely an ugly game. A lot of stoppages, et cetera. But it is what it is. It's playoff basketball. We've got to come out next game. They forced a Game 7, so now we've got to come out and do what we do best.

Q. You guys have been in this position before this season; what gives you confidence in this group?

JAYLEN BROWN: We've been, like I said, resilient all year, and this is a different test. Obviously this game hurt to lose on our home floor, but we've got to have a short-term memory and come out. That team over there is hungry. They are experienced. So we've got to come out ready to go and almost just forget about last game and come out and have a great mentality.

Q. How was Jimmy different tonight?

JAYLEN BROWN: He just had it rolling. Made a lot of shots that on film we'll live with. Made four threes, I don't think he's made four threes in a game all Playoffs, but tonight he came out and he was aggressive. He played like his back was on the wall and he had an amazing game, and we just had no answers for him tonight. We've got to do a better job -- we will do a better job on Sunday.

Q. You've been to the Conference Finals a few times now. You had to go into Milwaukee and win Game 6 there last series. What do you take from those experiences about how you need to approach Game 7?

JAYLEN BROWN: Just got to breathe. You've got to get ready, like you said, prepare mentally, but come into the game loose, come into the game free, come into the game with a clear mind. You don't want to put unnecessary pressure on yourself and come and be ready to hoop, come ready to play basketball.

At the end of the day, that's what it is. We understand the severity of the game that's on the line. We've just got to come out and play Celtic basketball tonight. We've got a great opportunity, and we left the ball short.

We've got another opportunity on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. You've mentioned throughout the series a few times looking to get the hand-checking calls when you're attacking. Tonight you took it to the line a bunch of times, but they were also able to get a lot of steals just on stuff that was happening kind of in the in-between. Did you feel like you guys were able to find a little physicality you were looking for, and what do you have to do differently Game 7 to get that if you don't?

JAYLEN BROWN: It was a weird game, how it was officiated. I definitely felt like I took care of the ball, found my spots where I could drive, et cetera, and whether the contact was there or not, I just didn't make enough plays down the stretch. They started doubling, we made some right plays, but definitely got to find more ways to be aggressive next game. I only think I took one or two shots in the second half, and it's a fine line between letting the game come to you and almost being aggressive.

You look at the film, you regroup, and you get ready for the next one.

Q. Jaylen, those two missed free throws and then Jimmy comes back with an and-one. It seemed like every time you make an approach they came back. How deflating were some of those plays? Seemed like they had something for every time you made a stride.

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, they responded to every time we made a run, every time we got close, every time we went up. They made key baskets and timely shots and things like that. It's almost like you can't leave -- in a game like this, and they got it going, can't leave room for error, and we did, I did, we as a team did, and next game if we come out like that, we've got to be almost -- we've got to be better. That's what it came down to. They played an amazing game. They made crazy shots. But we've got to play great defense again and force them to make some of those shots again.