2024 NBA Finals: Jaylen Brown has met the moments that make champions — and superstars

DALLAS — At some point, it’s no longer an anomaly, these superstar performances from Jaylen Brown.

He’s already cemented as a star, but the prevailing feeling in the minds of many has been about the turnovers on the biggest stage, the meltdowns and lack of poise when it mattered most.

But when announcements were needed, statements were made — thunderous dunks when Dallas tried a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, and pull-up jumpers to quiet a desperate Mavericks rally late in the fourth quarter.

These moments are what makes champions and Finals MVPs — and superstars. Brown’s ascension to this next level, this air-thinning space, lines up with the maturity of the Boston Celtics, who are now 48 minutes away from claiming championship No. 18.

Number 7 again put his stamp on these playoffs, on these NBA Finals. The finishing touches, the moments where series can be won or extended, have belonged to Brown, with further proof of this new man in Boston’s 106-99 Game 3 win at American Airlines Center Wednesday night.

The Celtics have a 3-0 lead, and no team in NBA history has come back from such a deficit.

Both Brown and Jayson Tatum reached the 30-point mark, with Brown adding eight rebounds and eight assists, while Tatum scored 31 with six rebounds and five assists. For the series, Brown is averaging 24.3 points, 6 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

Both, unbeknownst to the other, had the same exact statement when referencing their confirmed poise: “Experience is the best teacher.”

They’ve had enough collective experiences, enough failures and disappointments that they weren’t going to be the team that folded, even though it looked very much like they would revert to their old form when the Mavericks went on a 20-2 run to turn the night into a potentially perilous one.

But they found their center, even though their tallest player, Kristaps Porziņģis, was out with yet another injury. Brown had the game in his hands, his team leading by two. In the past, it felt like he would meander down the lane without a plan, then panic as bodies got in his path.

Jaylen Brown reacts to the crowd during the fourth quarter in…


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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-13 05:51:28

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