Jaylen Brown dropped 40 points to help lift the Boston Celtics over the Indiana Pacers for a Game 2 win in the ECF Finals. Is Brown's performance in this series leading him to an ECF MVP? Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, Jimmy Toscano, A. Sherrod Blakely, and analyze Brown's Game 2 performance.
Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.
Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.
Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS
Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.
Elevate your style game on and off the course with the PXG Spring Summer 2024 collection. Head over to https://PXG.com/GARDENREPORT and save 10% on all apparel.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 >> Man, incredible night for Jalen Brown just taking over the way he did,
00:05 dominating playoff career high matches at 40 points out here.
00:09 And I love what Joe Mazzullo had to say about his growth.
00:13 He has that mindset, always wants to get better, never quite satisfied.
00:17 And he was honest when he said, and I was hoping Joe would give us the real answer,
00:20 and he did.
00:21 When he said that the all NBA snub, yeah, that's something that motivates Jalen.
00:26 That's something that you're gonna see something like this after less than 24
00:30 hours after that news dropped.
00:32 And I think that everyone sort of knew that going into this one, but
00:35 the way he continued to be consistent.
00:37 And also finding his guys, Joe Mazzullo bringing up, he hopes that the NBA one day
00:42 does the hockey assist or some sort of column.
00:45 >> God, potential assist.
00:48 >> Potential assist, yeah, he's hoping that it makes the box score one day.
00:52 Because Jalen had a stack of them in this game,
00:55 even though the box score shows he had two assists.
00:58 So yeah, I thought it was a perfect game for him.
01:02 >> Go, John, go, go.
01:04 >> Guys, you know the guys with high assist numbers also have a shit ton of
01:08 potential assists too, right?
01:10 The more you pass, the percentages eventually even out over time.
01:15 And so sometimes those guys you pass to for open threes hit them, and
01:19 sometimes they don't.
01:21 But over a long enough timeline,
01:23 the guys with the higher assist totals are finding more guys open.
01:26 There's no secret here.
01:29 It's not like you realize how unlucky you'd have to be to have this ungodly
01:33 amount of potential assists and just people just happen to miss.
01:36 >> Yeah, but John, it falls into the philosophy.
01:38 It fits Joe Mazzullo's philosophy.
01:40 Move that ball because we don't want you.
01:42 >> The high assist guys have them also.
01:45 They do, they do, they all do.
01:47 Everybody who passes the basketball ever to a guy who shoots is doing something
01:52 that could result in an assist, and sometimes they don't go in.
01:56 We know this.
01:57 We gotta leave the potential assist alone.
01:59 >> Okay. >> There are some nights where the luck
02:01 isn't on your side.
02:03 You made 12 good passes to 12 open shooters and none of them hit it.
02:06 Absolutely.
02:07 But over a long enough timeline, it all evens out.
02:12 >> Yeah, but you gotta translate that line to Joe Mazzullo's language,
02:16 which is what it means is, yeah, Tatum was out there struggling.
02:19 >> We have a number for that, it's secondary assists.
02:21 >> Well, no, I think it's more so of Tatum was out there struggling and
02:25 Jalen wasn't saying to everyone, hey, just give me the ball and
02:29 everyone clear the way.
02:30 Yeah, obviously he wasn't in a pass first type of mood.
02:33 He was in attack mode.
02:34 But I think what he's trying to say is Jalen picks his spots.
02:38 Obviously, you look at his efficiency, which has always been sharp, but
02:41 this playoff run has been, it's the best we've ever seen from Jalen.
02:45 So I just think that's his way of saying he could have easily been like, okay,
02:48 time to go out and get mines.
02:49 What, Tatum got four at halftime?
02:51 This is my show.
02:52 I feel a couple years ago, maybe he does that, but he's come a long way.
02:55 Obviously, we know how he is as a player overall, but
02:58 I think in the heat of the moment, it's easy to get caught into it, right?
03:01 Especially when you're on point, when you're scoring at a high rate.
03:06 And then he had a pace that's just sort of like,
03:08 you're not getting that sort of resistance that's gonna slow you down.
03:10 I mean, he could have easily got 50 out here if he really wanted to.
03:13 I know it's a Jason Tatum line, but I just think that it really rings true when
03:17 you think about the kind of game Jalen put together, especially when Tatum,
03:21 they didn't really have it.
03:22 And so he kind of found his offense in that second half.
03:25 >> Yeah.
03:25 >> One guy out there looked like he was absolutely the guy, and
03:30 it was Brown every second he was out there.
03:34 First quarter, the whole time, again, you got dropped from the sky and
03:39 this is the first basketball game you've ever watched with these teams playing.
03:42 You'd be like, that's obviously the team's best player.
03:45 Brown was that guy the whole night, he was the guy.
03:49 And it wasn't even close.
03:50 I mean, and again, in comparison to Tatum, who was just passive and
03:54 inefficient for the first two and a half quarters, Brown did everything.
03:57 I mean, just the way he played, how aggressive he was,
04:00 the reads that he made, didn't force anything.
04:03 Again, there's nothing, look, you wanna nitpick, everybody laid down a little bit
04:09 at the end of that second quarter and kinda fell asleep on defense.
04:12 And Brown had a couple of blow-bys, Tatum had one there.
04:15 Other than that, Brown was, I mean, it was pretty close to a perfect game.
04:21 He was terrific.
04:22 >> Testing my skills on price picks this season is the most exciting way to play
04:28 daily fantasy sports.
04:30 If you have the skills, you can turn $10 into $1,000 with just a few taps.
04:35 Use the code CLNS for the first deposit match up to $100.
04:40 Pick more, pick less, it's that easy.
04:43 >> He has been the most valuable player.
04:46 >> You did give him his flowers.
04:48 All right, I wanna make sure.
04:49 >> No, all game long, are you kidding?
04:50 He was the number one guy.
04:51 It wasn't even close.
04:52 It wasn't even close.
04:54 And you know what?
04:54 He was the best player.
04:56 He saved their ass in game one.
04:58 And he's pretty much single-handedly won game two by being
05:04 the man the whole time until finally everybody got it together and stretched it out.
05:10 And yeah, other good performances too, Holliday and White for sure.
05:12 But I mean, he's miles and away your clubhouse leader for
05:17 conference finals MVP right now.
05:19 And it's gonna be hard to get him.
05:20 >> Which John called.
05:21 >> Which I called, but- >> Wave the flag, John, go ahead,
05:24 wave the flag.
05:25 >> But he's on his way.
05:26 I mean, shit, the very fact that he, I tweeted this earlier, going back to game one.
05:33 The Jalen Brown causing the turnover and that three was like almost dismissed for
05:39 how ridiculous those plays were back to back.
05:43 >> Right, I agree.
05:44 >> And how improbable they were because everybody spent the whole time saying
05:48 that the Pacers screwed up.
05:49 God, I can't believe the Pacers blew it.
05:51 And I said it was very likely, it was akin to the Patriots' Seahawks Super Bowl
05:58 with the Malcolm Butler interception where all anybody at that moment spent time is
06:02 like, why didn't they hand the ball to Lynch?
06:04 And they were talking about that and I'm sitting there watching it like, guys,
06:08 this was the greatest play in the history of championship sports.
06:11 What aren't you seeing here?
06:13 And Brown had two of those back to back rolled into one.
06:16 It was now there's a steal by Byrd, it was a big deal.
06:19 And the complexion of the series changes a ton if he doesn't make those plays.
06:25 And he saved JT's ass in game one cuz he didn't have a great game.
06:28 He got ten points in overtime after Nismith fouled out.
06:31 And his stat line looked beefier than Brown, but Brown was the guy in game one
06:36 and he was undoubtedly the guy in game two.
06:38 So he's been their best player by far, by far.
06:41 >> Well, he saved them in that last minute because look at those possessions, right?
06:45 Whether you wanna critique Tatum's jumper in the paint, what would we call that?
06:51 The forefoot fadeaway, which I felt like in that moment, why not drive to the rim
06:55 and get something more of a secure layup and then he missed it, right?
06:58 So I think if Jalen doesn't make that shot, we're gonna point to that or
07:02 we're gonna point to the turnover or
07:03 we're gonna point to late game execution overall saying,
07:06 well, why does Tatum always have to be the guy?
07:09 So yeah, I mean, Jalen saved them in a big way in game one.
07:12 Tatum obviously answered the call in that overtime.
07:14 But yeah, without Jalen, I mean, none of that happens.
07:16 And I feel like a lot of the time, especially from the national media
07:20 standpoint, we spend so much time talking about what Tatum is doing.
07:24 And maybe that has a lot to say with why Jalen wasn't on one of these all NBA teams.
07:30 I mean, it's kind of weird, isn't it?
07:32 And when you think about his numbers and
07:34 the way that something's finished the season and just the consistency throughout.
07:38 And listen, I get it, some guys in there, they had a heck of a season.
07:41 But in terms of consistency, I mean, in that third team,
07:45 there's guys who just kind of dropped off a bit, especially after the All-Star break.
07:50 And yeah, I think it was a snub, but I also think that Jalen is not gonna lose
07:55 sleep over this thing, but yeah, to what Joe Mizzoula said after this game,
07:59 it certainly played a part.
08:00 And he responded to that snub in a big way tonight.
08:04 >> Yeah, and snub or no snub,
08:06 he's the type of guy who can get motivated by this sort of stuff.
08:12 And I hate always doing the comparison, but
08:16 I also love doing the comparison, so I'm gonna do it.
08:19 I feel like Brown, yeah, Brown will motivate himself.
08:23 Tatum would have just been sad and
08:25 then given a sulky postgame comment about nobody likes us.
08:28 But Brown's like, all right, mother, I'll show, okay, okay, okay.
08:34 >> The howl.
08:34 >> He acts like that.
08:36 Okay, all right, I got it, it's a nod, okay, okay.
08:40 I'm gonna put that one away and I got it.
08:42 >> It's like the nod.
08:44 >> Everybody said it at the same time.
08:46 On Twitter, right after he got snubbed, everyone's like, those poor pacers.
08:50 And it happened.
08:51 >> Yeah.
08:53 >> This is what JB does, though.
08:54 And this is why him and I think Tatum are such good complements of one another.
09:01 Because you've got Jalen who's got that fire, that edge, that nastiness, and
09:05 Tatum's got that ridiculous skill set.
09:08 But the thing, and we talked about this a little bit earlier, to me,
09:12 one of the most important developments in this game was Tatum's awareness,
09:16 self-awareness, that I am not him today.
09:20 I am not the guy that's gonna get it done.
09:23 Jalen is.
09:24 Let me slide just a little bit to the side here and
09:26 give him the space to just dominate because that's what he's doing.
09:29 He is the one guy, and I said this earlier, that Indiana has no answer for.
09:35 And I mean, not even close.
09:38 No one has been able to keep him from getting to the paint.
09:41 No one has been able to close out on him when he's looking to shoot his three.
09:44 And defensively, he's done, I would say,
09:47 a better than average job relative to his teammates.
09:50 So at this point, he's your best player.
09:53 And I think Tatum's ability to recognize that in this series,
09:57 Jalen is the guy that should be leading this team, not me.
10:00 >> Take the gas work out of buying NBA tickets at game time.
10:04 Download the game time app, create an account,
10:06 use the code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase.
10:11 Terms apply.
10:12 Again, create an account and redeem the code CLNS and get $20 off.
10:18 Download game time today.
10:20 Last minute tickets, lowest prices, guaranteed.
10:23 >> Hey, Bobby Manning here.
10:24 If you made it this far, you probably enjoyed this video.
10:27 So subscribe, turn on notifications, and
10:29 check out our social media platforms at Celtics CLNS.
10:32 [MUSIC]