CLEVELAND — With the Celtics owning a 3-1 series lead in the East semifinals over the Cavaliers, they’re just one win away from another appearance in the East Finals. Not only would that be a third straight trip as one of the last four teams remaining, but it’s also a nod to Jaylen Brown’s eight-year C’s career.
With a win, that would be Brown’s sixth appearance in the East Finals in the last eight years. It’s a sign of how successful the Celtics have been — and Brown has naturally been a huge part of the spoils. He was once again everywhere in the Game 4 win over the Cavs as his scoring has taken an impressive step. There’s a reason for that, Brown revealed postgame.
“I just see me being aggressive,” Brown said. “I don’t think anybody over there can really guard me. Just getting to the paint and take my time. And I feel like the (expletive) I’ve been doing in the playoffs, not just in the playoffs, but all season long. So I just get to my spots and just do whatever.”
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Brown does have a point as his numbers have popped out thus far. He finished with 27 points and eight rebounds in Game 4 despite battling some foul trouble. Notably, Brown finished 9-for-15 from the field, including a 2-for-3 showing from 3-point land. His clutch 3 late also helped the Celtics seal their first clutch game of these playoffs.
The All-Star has been picking apart the Cavs all series. Through four games, he’s averaging 26.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while playing his dogged defense. Brown has shot 61.2% from the field while knocking down 44.4% of his 3-pointers. So while he might not be the game’s highest scorer, whenever he’s given the opportunity this series, Brown has made the most of them.
The Celtics will take this aggressive version of Brown who’s playing arguably some of the best basketball of his career. But first, the C’s will look to seal the East semifinals and get to the East Finals, where they’re looking for more than just another appearance. That starts with Game 5, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden.
“You see a lot of times, especially in these games, teams get up shots and just rebound after rebound after rebound and stuff like that,” Brown said. “We allowed them to get one shot. Whether it was a make or miss, they only got one shot, and then we played it from there.”