Tenth straight playoff win. 7-0 on the road this postseason. On the brink of an 18th NBA title.
The Boston Celtics did all of that in just one game.
But forget all of that, Jaylen Brown is not in a celebratory mood– not yet.
“It feels great to be up 3-0 in this series, but the job’s not done,” Brown said after the Celtics nearly squandered a 20-point fourth quarter lead before holding off the Dallas Mavericks, 106-99, in Game 3.
1 win away... 🏆 https://t.co/bzCHno6i07 pic.twitter.com/L35ZFiIAf3
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2024
Brown finished with 30 points, including a monster second half in which he scored 24, and some clutch baskets alongside Jayson Tatum and Derrick White down the stretch to avoid a possible Boston collapse for a commanding 3-0 Finals series lead.
“We’ve been in those moments a lot,” Brown said.
“And we’ve been in those positions, and we’ve lost. It was great to overcome that with my brother, Jayson, and with our team. That was special.”
Brown, Tatum, and White combined to score the remaining 13 Celtics points to get the Cs within a victory of their first title since 2008, and just the second since 1986.
“I thought it was a great team win. That lead dwindled fast. They [Mavericks] stormed back and that’s what’s the beauty of basketball, you can never let up,” the reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP spoke.
“We’ve been in those moments a lot and we just needed to be patient and poised.”
Brown, who is averaging 24.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game in this Finals series, credited last year’s failure that fueled the Celtics’ pursuit of redemption this season.
Boston nearly became the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the playoff series, forcing a Game 7 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals before losing at home.
"I mean, last year, just falling short on your home floor, it definitely hurt. It was embarrassing, in my opinion. I felt like the team was relying on me. JT [Tatum] got hurt in Game 7 and I dropped the ball."
"To me, it was embarrassing. It drove me all summer. [It] drove me crazy."
The Celtics responded big time, winning a regular-season high 64 games, and lost just twice in the playoffs.
Now, the Brown and Boston are one game away from hoisting a record-setting 18th NBA title against the Mavericks.
Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be held on Saturday, June 15, at 8:30 a.m. It will be aired LIVE on One Sports, NBA TV Philippines, RPTV, and the Pilipinas Live app.
