NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 5, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 2: Postgame

Warriors 107, Celtics 88

Q. On the three-point foul with Draymond Green, can you explain what happened there. It seemed like Draymond was trying to use his physicality and kind of punk you guys a little bit early and make a statement. How did that translate and what did you think of that whole foul situation?

JAYLEN BROWN: On that situation, Draymond fouled me on a three and put his legs on my head or whatever. I tried to get up. But that's what they're going to do. That's what he's going to do. He's going to try to muck the game up, try to raise the level of intensity. We've got to raise ours. I feel like they got away with a lot tonight, but we've got to come ready to play, come ready to meet that physicality on both ends.

Q. I'm curious in that moment, back on the Draymond play, when you're kind of going back and forth with him, are you aware that he has one technical already?

JAYLEN BROWN: No, not really. I'm just trying to play basketball. I feel like that was an illegal play. I feel like they could have called it, but they let it go in terms of a technical either way. But I don't know what I was supposed to do there. Somebody got their legs on the top of your head and then he tried to pull my pants down. I don't know what that was about.

That's what Draymond Green does. He'll do whatever it takes to win. He'll pull you, he'll grab you, he'll try to muck the game up because that's what he does for their team. It's nothing to be surprised about. Nothing I'm surprised about. He raised his physicality to try to stop us and we've got to raise ours. Looking forward to the challenge.

Q. Hot start with a couple of threes, three-point play all in the first two minutes. Ime thought a couple of fouls got you out of your rhythm a little bit. What did you think changed the rest of the game after that hot start?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, I was just being aggressive to start the game, feeling great. I got a call, I guess in the first half, that put me on the sideline. I don't feel like I touched Gary Payton and I expressed that, but they called the foul on me. That sat me down. Can't let that be the reason why in the second half I wasn't able to be as effective, but definitely changed the game with that phantom call.

Q. Are you comfortable with the way you shook off that exchange with Draymond as far as the way you played afterward? That sort of thing can frustrate somebody. Did it get in your head at all?

JAYLEN BROWN: Absolutely not. It's the NBA Finals. You come to play basketball. I know what Draymond is going to do. I know what he's going to try to do. They switched the lineup. They tried to put him on me, be physical, muck the game up, pull me, grab me and overall raise the intensity. I feel like they got away with a lot of stuff tonight, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of the next game.

All that stuff, the gimmicks, the tricks, we've just got to be the smarter team, be the more physical team. Look forward to just coming out and playing Celtic basketball.

Q. You guys have talked the past couple days about needing to play better in the third quarter. Obviously it didn't go that way today. What has been the recurring problems there that have kept you guys from having the success there you would want?

JAYLEN BROWN: I don't know the answer to that question. We've just got to come out and play basketball for 48 minutes. We do the best we can every single night and it's gotten us to the Finals. We're not a perfect team, but we'll figure it out going forward. We've just got to come out and play basketball. We know the Warriors are a third-quarter team. We talked about it. They still came out and were able to go on a run. We've just got to be able to answer, and we didn't tonight.

Q. You guys have actually had a better road record than home record so far in these Playoffs, four losses at home. What has to change to be able to maintain home court now that you did what you wanted to do and come out and got one of the games here?

JAYLEN BROWN: The past doesn't matter. Nothing in the past matters up until this moment, to be honest. Everything that happened in the last series and the series before, who cares. Right now we're here playing a different opponent, a different team, and we've got to look at it as such. We've got to come out and play our best version of basketball, because we're capable of doing it. So we've just got to come out and do that.

But we can't let stuff that's happened in the past affect our mindset going forward. We've just got to come out and play basketball and do a better job taking care of the basketball.

Q. Ime said he fully intended to get that tech. What did that do for you guys?

JAYLEN BROWN: We try not to get too much involved with the officiating. We just want to come out and play basketball and let that decide where it goes. But obviously on their home floor, so some home cooking. We've just got to come out and raise our level of intensity. They raised theirs, and we kind of were looking around expecting for somebody to kind of bail us out, and on their home floor that's not going to happen. We've got to raise ours and really no excuses about it. We've just got to be better.

Q. You won one of the two games here and you take that back to Boston; is there satisfaction in that, or do the factors and the result tonight overshadow that and demand your attention for the games coming up?

JAYLEN BROWN: No satisfaction whatsoever. Every game is its own story. We've got to be ready to play each and every game.

No satisfaction in winning one. No satisfaction in obviously tonight. We take from it, we learn from it and we get ready for the next one.

Q. After the altercation or whatever with Draymond, you rose up on him and you let him know you were there. How do you stay within character because obviously he's trying to get you out of character and the guys out of character? How do you stay in character but also let them know that they can't do you like that?

JAYLEN BROWN: You just play basketball and keep doing your smile and you keep doing what you do. I know what I can bring to the game. I know what I'm capable of doing, and they know that, as well.

That's what Draymond is going to do. He's going to try to muck things up. He's going to try to pull your arm, whatever, whatever it takes to win. That's what he's made a career out of. Respect to him. But right now I ain't got time for that, so we'll get ready for the next one.