The Boston Celtics took a 1-0 lead in their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers in pretty convincing fashion. It was a wire-to-wire victory from start to finish, with multiple players standing out. Jaylen Brown was one of them, but he made his mark in one of the unorthodox ways possible: not turning it on until the second half.
Brown's statline was pretty good as a whole - 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals on 11-for-21 shooting first half of the 2026 NBA Playoffs was nothing to brag about. He shot six-for-13 from the field to go with some turnovers and ill-advised fouls.
The second half, or more specifically, the third quarter, was when Brown truly started to shine, shooting eight-for-10 from the field, including two threes. During the one part of the game where it looked like the Sixers could have made it a game, cutting it down to 15 and were a Kelly Oubre three from cutting it to 12, Brown took charge.
It all started when Brown stopped a Sixers fastbreak before it started, then hit a three to push the lead back to 18.
This is why you never give up on a play 👇 pic.twitter.com/1nK3IhVjdS
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 19, 2026
From there, Brown went on to hit five of his next shots, and by the end of the quarter, the lead ballooned from 15 to 24 when it was all over (it would have been 26 had it not been for Tyrese Maxey's buzzer-beater).
Brown's game wasn't great all-around, but when it looked like Boston was faltering, Brown put the team on his back.
Superstars don't let bad stretches get them down
Even the best players in the NBA are guilty of having off days. However, what makes certain players special is not letting obstacles like that undermine their confidence. Boston wasn't suffering too much from Brown's shaky first half, but because he took charge in the third quarter, they got the easy win.
It's further proof of the All-NBA player Brown has truly become. It's not just about how good he is, but also that the moment doesn't get to him. The Celtics likely would have won the game anyway, but Brown stopped the game itself from becoming a potential barn burner.
Those are the difference makers who differentiate teams from being title contenders and being paper tigers. Everyone already knew what Brown was capable of, but this season was particularly special because he was asked to do more than usual, and even while Boston is back to normal, that hasn't stopped Brown from showing the superstar leap he took this season.
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