Jaylen Brown had clear intentions heading into Monday’s Eastern Conference showdown between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons -- he wanted to take on the challenge of guarding Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham.
“I’m gonna guard him tonight,” Brown told Brian Scalabrine on the NBC Broadcast pregame. “I haven’t guarded him in the other three games. I’m gonna pick him up, test him a little bit, and we’ll go from there.”
Brown’s desire to check Cunningham in Detroit was just another example of him wanting to prove that he is the best two-way player in the NBA. To his credit, he did a solid job of making the case.
Cunningham, who averages about 26 points and 10 assists on the season, struggled to put the ball in the basket against Boston. He finished the game with just 16 points on a rough 4-17 from the field.
Of course, this can’t entirely be attributed to JB. Switches happen. Double-teams happen. It’s 5-on-5, not 1-on-1, after all.
The former No.1 overall pick, however, was not completely neutralized. He did a tremendous job of keeping his head on a swivel and whipping passes to open teammates all game long. Cunningham diced the Cs apart and made them pay for double-teaming him with 14 assists without turning the ball over once.
Though the Celtics lost in Detroit, Brown's mentality was that of a winner
Just because he was still effective doesn’t mean that Brown didn’t deliver on his promise -- which, by the way, wasn’t meant to be a jab at the Pistons star. There aren’t many top stars in the NBA that’ll carry an offense on one end, then willingly guard the opposing team’s best player on the other.
JB led Boston in scoring with 32 points in Detroit. It wasn’t his most efficient game, but he showed up (mostly) when the Cs needed a boost down the stretch. Brown poured in 10 fourth-quarter points to keep pace with the Pistons.
Boston didn’t win this game. You could argue that they lost, in part, because of Brown’s 0-2 trip to the free-throw line in the closing minutes, or his missed game-winning attempt. But Brown’s mentality is ultimately good for the NBA.
The league would be better off if more of its top players carried the same determination on a nightly basis. You don't have to look hard to find old heads complaining that the game was better when the players legitimately hated each other. Maybe it doesn't need to be that deep, but more competitors like Brown would be a welcome addition for the association.
He wants to compete. He wants the smoke. He wants to battle to be the best.
Even though he’s already been named to an All-NBA team, won an NBA Finals MVP, and was announced as an All-Star starter for the first time in his career on Monday afternoon, Brown still has a chip on his shoulder -- still something to prove.