BOSTON — To tank or not to tank. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Utah Jazz grappled with that question themselves. And the Boston Celtics seemed happy to oblige. Three after three, transition bucket after bucket, the Celtics’ defense wilted, throwing away a 23-point lead in the blink of an eye. Yet as Boston teetered on its back foot, Jaylen Brown pushed them back to balance.
It hadn’t been a stellar night for the Celtics star. With Jayson Tatum sidelined, Brown was handed the reins, and the offense looked funky for much of the first half. Some awkward possessions highlighted by a lack of shot-making and the occasional turnover outshined the positives he brought to the table.
But none of that mattered when the game was on the line.
Jaylen Brown saved the Celtics, because that's what he's built to do
“I think the key for him is he just has an ability to stay present,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game. “Doesn't get too caught up in the past, whether it's good or bad. I think he has an innate ability, not just on the court, but in life, to just focus on the present and what's going forward.
“He trusts his work ethic, and he trusts the people around him. So, I think that that's one of his biggest keys. It's obviously a competitive nature that he has, but just his ability to stay in the present and continue to move forward."
As the Celtics fought desperately to stave off a Jazz team that couldn’t decide whether or not to win the game, Brown made the decision for them.
With Boston’s lead chopped down to six at the 5:08 mark in the fourth, Brown got himself to the free-throw line and sunk both shots. Then, just a couple of possessions later, as Cody Williams sprinted in transition with a metric ton of momentum on his side, Brown soared through the sky to block him at the rim.
Utah ended up grabbing the board, and John Collins made his free throw. But what mattered was the moment. And Brown owned the moment.
No matter the game, situation, or current state of his play, Brown is constantly communicating and reflecting on what he needs to do.
“Tony Dobbins does great job communicating with him,” Mazzulla said. “I talk to him a little bit. But a lot of it is just him kind of being on his own and having an understanding of where he is and what he needs to get accomplished. I mean, he has really good situational awareness to his environment, and has an ability to kind of take it to another level.”
After the free throws, Brown immediately went down the other end and got a bucket, but Collins answered with a triple that brought the Jazz within two. And before long, Walker Kessler put a shot through the net to make it a tie game with 3:21 to play.
The two sides battled, but less than a minute later, Brown outdid himself. His monster block on Williams had TD Garden bumping, but his posted dunk over Kessler drew a roar loud enough to make the soil under the building shake.
A Sam Hauser three took the decibels to another level. It was the nail in the coffin, but Brown’s dunk was the hammer that used to forge it in place.
On a night when a couple of plays could have been the contrast between a catastrophic collapse and a relief-filled victory, Brown was the difference. His moments were the difference. His ability to stay centered was the difference.
That’s what stars do. Be the difference.