NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 4, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Practice Day

Q. The shirts, whose idea and where did it come from and what went into it?

JAYLEN BROWN: Came from the Players Association, led by Grant Williams. But as a collective we wanted to come out and show our support for Brittney Griner. She's been over there for an extended amount of time, and we feel like enough is enough.

Q. In the fourth quarter, your effective field goal percentage is the highest of anybody in the league at 76 percent. What is it about the fourth quarter in these playoff games that brings your game to another level?

JAYLEN BROWN: Trying to win, to be honest. I think that's the only thing that matters. The only analytic or stat or breakdown that matters to me is getting the W at the end of the night. That's the only thing I'm focused on right now.

Q. Are you planning to wear the shirts the rest of the way, as long as you have this platform throughout the rest of the series?

JAYLEN BROWN: I'm not sure. I'm not sure, to be honest. I guess we'll talk about it as a team. But we felt like it was a good idea to use our availability and our platforms to bring attention to certain matters.

I always stand for that. Being an athlete, we're not just up here just to entertain you guys. We also have a voice. I always appreciate and applaud athletes, entertainers, my teammates who plan to do something with that.

I'm not sure if we'll wear it for the rest of the time, but today was a good day to bring attention to a topic that was necessary. Tomorrow might be something else.

Q. In your role as a union officer -- the Celtics needed I think 29 players to get through this season because it was so bad in December and January with COVID. I think there were like 620 guys who got into the league this year, which is obviously way more than normal. I guess as a player and as a union official, how appreciative are you for what those guys were able to do and keep the season going and keep the season on schedule?

JAYLEN BROWN: I guess very. I mean, obviously to play basketball during unprecedented times the last two years has been tough for individuals, families, etc. But I think the NBA and the Players Association have done as good a job as possible to keep things going and to accommodate everything as best they possibly can.

There's been ups and downs. There's been questions, things that haven't made sense. But I still give credit where credit is due. I know there's a bunch of people behind the scenes that are trying to make everybody's job easier so we can play basketball and people can enjoy watching us play safely and in an environment.

So I tip my cap to both the NBAPA and the NBA for continuing the season, etc. So that's it.

Q. How aware are you guys of how good Golden State has been in third quarters and how that's been a challenge for you guys going forward now?

JAYLEN BROWN: It's one thing watching on film and then going against it live and in person. Golden State is a generational team, especially their core group. They score points in bunches and have a lot of offensive firepower, and our job is to try to slow it down and negate it. Every possession matters. It's the NBA Finals. We just have to go into it with the mindset that we have to put our best foot forward and play some really good basketball if we plan to win any games.

I'm looking forward to the challenge. I know our group is looking forward to the challenge as well. We haven't been consistently as great in the third quarter, but all the other quarters matter, too. We've just got to come out and play basketball and try to take away what they do best, which would be why we've got our work cut out. But I believe in us.

Q. Two of Al Horford's best playoff scoring games have come in this postseason, and Year 15. What does that say about his longevity in the league?

JAYLEN BROWN: It says everything. Al has been waiting for this moment. He deserves this moment. He's earned this moment. He's paid his dues. He's worked. He's been on winning organizations, winning teams. He asks to win every time he steps out on the floor. Plays both sides of the ball. Can't get a better team guy than Al Horford. We are going to lean on him to have some big performances in the coming games.

If you're asking me if I'm proud of what I've seen in the journey with Al Horford, I am. I'm even more excited to see what's to come over these next few games. I'm excited for our entire group, but Al is a key, key ingredient in that.

Q. We all saw the Marcus Smart video from the game saying this wasn't the Heat series. How much of an adjustment after the two super-physical series with Milwaukee and Miami, how much of an adjustment was that at the beginning of the game for you guys, and what did it take for you to switch gears once you saw it live to turn the game around?

JAYLEN BROWN: It's a big adjustment, going from one series to the next. That Game 1 is important. So being able to transition in the first quarter, it showed we gave up a lot of open looks, had a lot of defensive breakdowns.

We've definitely got to be better in that area in that regard, and we are looking forward to doing that.

But especially like the travel, all of that stuff is included as well. So as the series goes on, we get more comfortable, but also we've got to understand they are going to get more comfortable as well.

We've just got to be ready to play our best basketball and get ready for the challenge.