BOSTON – With 3:19 remaining in the third quarter, with the Celtics up by 13, the crowd broke into an “M-V-P” chant, acknowledging the player at the free throw line.
But it wasn’t Jayson Tatum about to finish off a three-point play.
It was Jaylen Brown, the star who has risen in the postseason, the player who is covering up for the curious amounts of time Tatum has been dormant in the series.
Brown, not Tatum, has been the constant. He’s the half of the dynamic duo who has been making the crucial plays, hitting the biggest shots from start to finish. In the Celtics, 126-110, Game 2 win, giving the Green team a 2-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers in the series, Brown had 40 points.
That tied a career playoff high.
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During the playoffs, it seems like Brown has been on a mission. Whatever the impetus, the Celtics have needed Brown, and his killer instinct to put away the lesser teams they’ve faced during this postseason ride.
The “M-V-P” chants by the TD Garden crowd merely put an emphatic stamp on that narrative. The fans know the score, recognizing it’s been Brown who has taken his game to the next level. It’s been Brown who has put the Superman cape on to this point.
Not Tatum.
The Celtics resident superstar had just four first half points before finishing with 23 in the Game 2 win. Tatum finally came alive after Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, who had largely been defending him, left the game after picking up his fourth foul with 5:20 to go in the third quarter.
So while Tatum has struggled offensively with his shot, Brown, who hit the clutch three-pointer to send Game 1 into overtime to help secure that win, has picked up the slack. So have others. In Game 2, Derrick White (23 points) and Jrue Holiday (15 points) also had significant contributions.
If Tatum ever gets going in earnest, to match the irrepressible Brown and the rest, Banner 18 will follow.
But in the immediate, as Tatum tries to find his groove, it’s been Brown who has carried the team, imposing his will on the Packers.
It was Brown who set the tone Thursday night. He had six of the team’s first nine points en route to netting 24 of his game-high 40 by halftime. Brown also let his play do the talking when it came to being left off the All-NBA team.
After the game, he didn’t readily admit the snub motivated him, but it was easy to read between the lines.
While Brown initially said he cared more about advancing to the NBA Finals, than receiving any personal accolades, he eventually opened up. Later in his press conference, when asked about being underrated or overlooked as an NBA player, Brown didn’t hold back.
“I watch guys get praised and anointed who I feel like is half as talented as me on either side of the ball,” Brown said. “But at this point in my life I just embrace it. It comes with being who I am and what I stand for and I ain’t really changing that.
“So I just come out and I’m grateful to step out on the floor, put my best foot forward. I get better every single year and whether people appreciate it or not, it is what it is.”
His teammates appreciate that about him. They’ve seen the transformation. They’ve seen him evolve into a leader, and someone who will step up in the key moments.
In the 12 playoff games played overall, he’s averaging 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. In the two games against the Pacers, he’s pumped in 33 points per game.
“He has it going. You all see what I see,” Holiday said of Brown. “Great player, great leader, but wants to win, and takes things into his own hands. Having a guy like that on my side, I love it. I’ll ride for him … the way JB has been playing has been outstanding.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla tried to put the motivation factor of Brown not making the All-NBA team into context.
“I think he cares about it in a way that motivates him. And I think he doesn’t really care about it at all because he understands that winning is the most important thing,” Mazzulla said. “He has an innate ability to just get better … he has unreal confidence, but he’s also not afraid to work on things he needs to get better at. He just cares about the right stuff.”
Like Tatum, Brown has struggled at times to deliver. During last season’s Game 7 loss in the Eastern finals against Miami, Brown was a turnover machine.
He’s been hellbent on atoning for that, and making sure the Celtics stay the course. If Tatum is having an off shooting night, Brown has made sure to do whatever it takes to keep the team afloat.
Said Mazzulla: “He takes a lot of pride in his ability to impact the game in different ways, and I thought he did that tonight.”