NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 2, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 1: Postgame

Celtics 120, Warriors 108

Q. Jaylen, the Warriors play a lot of different looks, they have three-guard lineups, in the fourth they had Looney and Draymond out there together. Could you describe how different it is defensively when they play two bigs versus when they go smaller?

JAYLEN BROWN: I mean, at the end of the day, it's basketball. Got to make adjustments, read the game. They play two bigs. Looney and Draymond has been effective for them most of the Playoffs. Looney dominated the offensive glass tonight, so you understand why he's in that game, and Draymond is Draymond. We've just got to do a good job of running our offense, making our reads, then let the game decide for itself.

Q. Every single year of your career you've made progress as a ball handler. In this postseason there's been some ups and downs, but your efficiency still as a shot creator and isolations has continued to trend up. What is your assessment of how you've developed at creating out of isolations when it comes to feeling out scoring and facilitating?

JAYLEN BROWN: Just being a basketball player. Just coming out, being aggressive, using what I can do best, my skill set, to get to my spots. Just overall being aggressive.

Every year you can say I got better or every year you could say I got more opportunity. You could look at it both ways.

For me, I just come out and play my role, do what I need to do to help my team win.

Q. When Ime was asked about tonight's win, he brought up the word "resiliency." He said that's been the theme for you guys all season long. What makes you guys so resilient?

JAYLEN BROWN: Just the guys in the locker room. We're battle-tested. We've been through a lot. We've been through a lot of experiences, a lot of losses. We know what it takes to win.

I give credit to every guy in that locker room from top to bottom. We got a great, resilient group. The chain is only as strong at its weakest link. Everybody comes to work every single day, not just players, but coaching staff, medical staff, weight training, everybody. It's an all-around collective effort every single night and everybody did their job.

Q. When you got that steal early in the fourth quarter, you kicked ahead to Payton. Did you see him through there? Were you trying to pass it to him?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, we got the steal, Payton was open, made the play for the layup.

Q. If you think back to Team USA when you teamed up with Derrick White, what was your impression of Derrick White at that time? How has he changed your impression of him since he's been here?

JAYLEN BROWN: Derrick White is a baller. He has been for a while. San Antonio, he's had a great series and Playoff runs and things. He's definitely a player that can elevate his level at any time. I've known that before I played with him at USA, but even learned more from him at USA. He's just a baller.

Certain people get up for moments, have the ability to outplay the scouting report, just can flat-out hoop. Credit to D-White, man. He can ball.

Q. We understand that Derrick is quiet. Whether it was when everybody was in China, training camp in Vegas, when he got traded to Boston, do you have a favorite off-the-floor story about Derrick, meeting him?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, we got some stories. But overall Derrick is just a great guy. He's quiet, but if you get close enough to him, he'll warm up to you. He'll take some jokes, some dad jokes and stuff like that.

Derrick is a great guy. He fit right in as soon as he got to Boston, and it was just like automatic. We're lucky to have him.

Q. Do you remember the first conversation you had with Ime about becoming an elite ball handler on this team? Was it as far back as maybe the World Cup run you had with him?

JAYLEN BROWN: Maybe not as far back as that. But definitely since Ime has been here, he's wanted to put the ball in my hands more so than at any other point in my career.

I've made leaps by getting that experience and things like that. Sometimes I make the wrong read. I'm human; I make mistakes. I feel like if you put the ball in my hands, more often than not I'm going to put ourselves in a good position to win.

Tonight I got going in the fourth quarter. I made some really great reads. We were able to go on a run that helped us come back and win the game.

Q. You've talked all year about being resilient. You said after Game 6 in Boston you were going to go to Miami and win in Game 7. What was your feeling after that third quarter?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, we talked about it at halftime. We knew they were going to come out in the third quarter, and they did. They came out great.

In those moments, once you realize that you allowed somebody to do something that you didn't want them to, once you realize that, you either can go two ways: you can let it snowball or you can play to the next play, figure things out.

We just kept playing, kept figuring it out. We kept playing basketball and we found a way to win.

Q. You said after Game 7 when you were sitting with Al in Miami that everybody was thrilled for Al to get a chance to have this opportunity to be here in the Finals. What was it like to see him take over down the stretch and flip this game around for you guys?

JAYLEN BROWN: Phenomenal. That's what we need. That's what we want. We want that veteran leadership to carry us over.

Al had a bunch of great looks. We encouraged him to keep taking them. He came out his first Finals game and played amazing. He carried us and led to a victory.

We got to get ready for the next game. We win as a team. I know the media likes to push the narrative between certain players, but it's a team game. The best team is going to win, not the best individual player.

We just got to keep playing as a team and we'll be all right.