INDIANAPOLIS — Jaylen Brown became the longest tenured member on the Celtics roster this year after the surprise trade of Marcus Smart last June. That veteran experience showed in the locker room after Boston won their second Eastern Conference title in three years. While many of Brown’s teammates posed with trophies and reveled in the experience, Brown stayed largely reserved.
It was a reflection of the mentality that Brown had tried to promote all year long for this group in the face of sharp roster changes over the summer. The Celtics All-Star led with his actions in Game 4, with a pair of clutch plays in the final minute to help secure a 105-102 win.
“We had some guys leave so I wanted to make sure that void was filled,” Brown said of his leadership. “Marcus Smart, one of my brothers that got traded, he was one of the voices of our team. And when he wasn’t here I wanted to make sure I stepped in. I wanted to make sure that everybody felt me and everybody knew what the standard was. We didn’t skip no steps all season. I think we played the right way every single game. I thought everybody (was) accountable. And this is the byproduct.”
Fanatics Sportsbook
10X$100 BONUS BET
BET MATCH BONUS
Must be 21+. GAMBLING PROBLEM? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, KY ,MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV); (888) 789-7777 or ccpg.org (CT); 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA); (800) 327-5050 or gamblinghelpline.org (MA), mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1800gambler.net (WV)
The Celtics completed their first series sweep since a 2022 first round win against the Nets. Boston also improved to 6-0 on the road this postseason and 12-2 overall while becoming the first team to secure a spot in the Finals.
“We feel like we’re a different team than we were last year and the year before that,” Brown said. “I know everybody wants to continue to kind of pigeonhole us to what was happening in the past but we’ve had a different team every single year, different coaches, we’ve had like three coaches in the last five years.
“And still people want to make it seem like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same. Time has gone by, experience has been gained and I think we are ready to put our best foot forward.”
The Celtics will host Game 1 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden next Thursday night.
