Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown gave the Golden State Warriors some bulletin-board material, whether he meant to or not.
I’ll start with the obvious — nothing Brown said in his comments was wrong. The Celtics should not be scared of the Warriors entering a critical, must-win Game 6 at home. Should they lose, they lose the entire series and a chance at history.
A win would, of course, extend the series to a deciding seventh game. At this point in the season, fear would have forced the Celtics out of the playoffs already. Brown and teammate Jayson Tatum, along with the rest of his Boston teammates, did not get to this point by fearing their opponent.
Is there mutual respect? Of course. But comments such as the one Brown made on Wednesday could be used against him when or if Golden State wins the NBA Finals.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown: We don’t fear the Warriors
Entering Game 6, the C’s have to be frustrated they weren’t able to take advantage in their last matchup on the road in San Francisco. While Chase Center was rocking, Steph Curry struggled all game long from behind the arc, a true rarity in his playoff career. He failed to make a single three pointer.
Yet, Boston went cold in the fourth quarter, and their traps on Curry weren’t enough to keep the rest of the Dubs in check. This included Andrew Wiggins, who led the team in scoring.
There is little to no chance Curry has back-to-back games without making a shot from behind the arc. He’s the greatest shooter in NBA history for a reason.
Yet, on their home floor, Boston has to feel confident they can push this series to a deciding game. At the very least, Brown will go down fighting — not out of fear, but with determination.