Joe Mazzulla reacts to Jaylen Brown’s All-NBA snub originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — Individual awards are the least of Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics’ concerns with a trip to the NBA Finals at stake.
Even so, Brown being left off the 2023-24 All-NBA teams is difficult to ignore. The three-time All-Star is coming off the best all-around season of his eight-year career. In addition to his 23.0 points per game and career-high 49.9 field goal percentage, he stepped up his game defensively and even flirted with his first All-Defensive nod.
As frustrating as it may be to be overlooked, Brown isn’t dwelling on his snub amid his team’s Eastern Conference Finals series vs. the Indiana Pacers. C’s head coach Joe Mazzulla briefly touched on Brown’s mindset ahead of Game 2 on Thursday night.
“He’s a very mature guy, so I don’t have to (talk to him about it),” Mazzulla said. “But he has a great outlook on life. He knows what’s important and what’s now. He works really hard, and he knows who he is as a person and a player. That’s the most important thing.”
Brown is the reason the Celtics have a 1-0 series lead heading into Thursday’s matchup. The 27-year-old drilled the game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime in Boston’s 133-128 Game 1 victory. He finished with 26 points (10-20 FG), seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in what was a stellar performance on both ends of the floor.
Perhaps Brown will use his All-NBA and All-Defense snubs as motivation in Game 2 and beyond. Regardless, he’ll continue to play a key role in the Celtics’ ongoing quest for Banner 18.
Game 2 vs. Indiana is set for an 8 p.m. ET opening tip at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown has been locked in during the 2024 NBA playoffs, and one of the best examples came in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Indiana Pacers.
Brown made two clutch free throws, forced a turnover and sent the game to overtime with a clutch 3-point shot from the corner — all in the last two minutes of regulation.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin, Brown explained how a mindset shift coming into the season has impacted him in a positive way.
“At the end of last year, I think I just developed a mentality where it was like, you just gotta keep going,” Brown said. “Life, basketball, it’s all about how you handle adversity, and how you handle your emotions, and not defeating yourself or shooting yourself in the foot.
“You might mess up in a game. Things might not go your way. But don’t let that snowball. You gotta be able to stop it right there and get back to a positive mindset. That’ll help you get back to success.”
This mindset helped Brown in Game 1 when the Pacers were in control late in the fourth quarter and appeared to be headed for a series-opening upset.
“(On Tuesday) things weren’t going great, but I never said it was over until it was over, and I was able to help my team win the game,” Brown said.
Brown also said he has done a better job blocking out external criticism and pressure this season, and is just trying to meet the high expectations he already has for himself.
“I feel a lot less pressure, externally at least — I’ve always had internal pressure because I expect great things for myself,” Brown explained. “But I think this year I feel a lot less external pressure than I ever have. Just living in the moment, taking it one game at a time, and not adding unnecessary pressure that is not needed. It’s you vs. you at the end of the day.
“The outside pressure and noise has affected me a lot less. I know there’s a lot of expectations on myself. There’s a lot of expectations on our season and us. All I can do is be the best version of myself and come out and play free, play aggressive and let the chips fall where they may.”
Brown is averaging 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 54.8 percent from the field in the playoffs so far. His defense has been fantastic as well.
The Celtics would not have beaten the Pacers in Game 1 without Brown’s leadership and clutch play. They’ll need more of those kinds of performances from Brown to ultimately accomplish the team’s No. 1 goal of winning Banner 18.