NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 13, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Game 5: Postgame

Warriors 104, Celtics 94

Q. You guys had won that third quarter. Just how much did the Jordan Poole three puncture your tires?

JAYLEN BROWN: It was a big shot. But third quarter we played some really good basketball. We just didn't take care of business in other quarters.

Q. Down the stretch you guys seemed to have some execution issues again. Have you regressed a little bit in the last two games?

JAYLEN BROWN: It's the NBA Finals. Credit to Golden State. They made it tough us on us, the intensity level. We dropped the ball execution-wise. Offensively, we got to be better. I got to be better. I'm looking forward to it next game.

Q. You and Jayson played essentially the whole second half until the end. Ime felt maybe fatigue factored in. Was that something you communicated with him at all during the flow of a game? Were you feeling good the whole time? What did you feel like affected you guys when things started to turn?

JAYLEN BROWN: I wanted to be on the floor. Ime trusted me to be out there. Over the course of the game, we made some good plays. We were in it. I felt like we just couldn't get over the hump tonight.

Tough loss, but got the opportunity to even it back up on our home floor, push a Game 7. I'm looking forward to that challenge.

Q. That's two straight fourth quarters now things have gone wrong for you. When things start to go bad like that, what do you need to have to stop that from unraveling?

JAYLEN BROWN: Just some patience, a little bit more perseverance. I feel like we had some good looks, some good opportunities. It didn't go down. I felt like I had some good looks. I missed a lot of shots tonight.

Just patience and perseverance. We didn't have that tonight. But we're going to need to have it for next game.

Q. You guys have been in a lot of different situations. You talked at the beginning of the playoffs about how much you like the inner strength of this team. How do you look at Game 6 and getting back here for a Game 7?

JAYLEN BROWN: Your faith got to be at an all-time high. Our faith got to continue to be there. We got to play as a team, as a unit. All season long it's kind of been like us versus everybody. I look at it as no different now.

My faith is higher than it's ever been before, so I'm looking forward to Game 6.

Q. You said a bunch of times in these playoffs when you guys have struggled offensively it's been because of spacing. Beyond that, anything Golden State has been doing that's getting you out of rhythm when you've had these stagnant stretches?

JAYLEN BROWN: A little bit. Credit to them. They're a really good defensive team. Disciplined and sound. They've forced us to do what obviously we don't do best. We just got to continue to recognize the game, see the game and make in-game adjustments. Take care of the ball when it comes down to it.

Another game with too many turnovers. It cost us.

Q. You have obviously been through a bunch of difficult situations these playoffs. Why is your faith in the group at this point higher than it's ever been that you can turn this thing around?

JAYLEN BROWN: I ain't got no choice. We don't have no choice. It's win or go home at this point. We worked incredibly hard all season to put ourselves in this position. I still feel like we have so much more better basketball to play that we haven't played in the last two games.

I'm hoping that the next two games we play Celtic basketball and put our best foot forward like I know we can. I know the city is going to be behind us. It's going to be a big Game 6. Looking forward to it.

Q. Oftentimes in fourth quarters when you lose control of games, it's really pushing tempo. Why do you think you lose pace in fourth quarters late in the game?

JAYLEN BROWN: I'm not sure. I think Golden State is trying to take it away. I think that they know what we do best.

We just got to take advantage of our opportunities and make them pay for their mistakes. Give credit to Golden State, they were the tougher-playing team tonight and it resulted in the W for them.

Q. The slow start, you fell behind 24-8 in the biggest game of your career. Why the slow start? Why were you lethargic?

JAYLEN BROWN: I don't know how to answer that question. We come out each and every night and try to do the best job we possibly can.

Like I said, credit to Golden State. They came out with great energy and made it tough for us. I felt like we had some good looks, but it didn't go our way tonight.

So we don't hang our head. We don't make excuses for it. We come out and we get ready for the next one.

Q. Ime talked about the Warriors' physicality and stuff like that. How do you adjust to that moving forward? Just making some tweaks or being able to match them more throughout the 48 minutes?

JAYLEN BROWN: We'll watch it and learn from it and see where we could have been better, stronger with the basketball, more aggressive.

I think they did some things to kind of take us out of our spots. We'll watch it and see where those adjustments need to be made.

But overall, physicality got to be better from the jump. We were looking around expecting somebody to bail us out. We just got to be stronger, more physical, more dominant, get to the paint and make somebody stop you. I know we're capable of it. We just got to do it.

Q. You have been a much better team on the road. What is it going to take to go home and use that home crowd to boost your enthusiasm to push for a Game 7?

JAYLEN BROWN: It's win or go home. We got to come with that mentality. It's survival of the fittest. We got to come out and play Celtic basketball.