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Jaylen Brown’s honest reaction to Celtics crowd gesture in 41-point game vs. Suns
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- Jaylen Brown’s honest reaction to Celtics crowd gesture in 41-point game vs. Suns
Jaylen Brown's honest reaction to Celtics crowd gesture in 41-point game vs. Suns appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
BOSTON — "MVP, MVP, MVP." That's all Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown heard as he approached the free throw line in the fourth quarter of the Green Team's 120-112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Brown delighted the home crowd at TD Garden with a game-high 41 points — on 50% shooting — to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
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The five-time All-Star was relentless against the Suns, attacking the rim constantly to force the refs to make call after call. This offensive aggression resulted in a career-high 21 free throws and allowed Brown to take all of the MVP cheers in while he stood by himself at the charity stripe.
"It's pretty cool, not gonna lie," Brown said of the MVP chants he received. "It's pretty awesome to be at this point in my career and be able to get that love from the fans."
Brown deserved every one of those shouts from the Boston faithful, as he recorded a game-high 18 points in the final frame alone. He was also responsible for the biggest momentum change of the contest, which arrived when he stole the ball cleanly from Suns star Devin Booker , leading to an easy layup for Celtics star Jayson Tatum on the other end with 3:05 remaining in the fourth quarter. That cut the Suns' lead to just one and forced a timeout — they never recovered and the Celtics proceeded to close the win out on a 10-1 run.
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"I feel like even now over the last couple of games, I've adjusted my game, and I'm still continuing to get better in my playmaking ability, seeing the floor, taking my time, all of that stuff is still continuing to improve," Brown said at the podium.
While Brown thoroughly enjoyed the love he earned from Celtics fans on Monday, he may have enjoyed the support he heard on a chilly Sunday morning in the streets of South Boston even more.
The longest-tenured Celtic participated in Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade for the first time and was surrounded by more fans than TD Garden can accommodate.
"I was in Southie yesterday and I got some MVP chants as well," Brown recalled. "I think that might've been a little cooler."
Although Brown is being serenaded by MVP chants all over Beantown, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll end up taking the Michael Jordan Trophy home. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the favorite and his Oklahoma City Thunder have the advantage of owning the best record in the NBA.
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This will likely prevent Brown from becoming the first Celtics MVP in four decades, yet he still has some history to chase. After lighting up the Suns, the Georgia native is only 23 points away from entering the top-10 of the Celtics' all-time scoring list. With a 23-point outing, he'd be right behind Tatum, his partner in crime, on the historic leaderboard.
"We can rely on one another in the biggest moments, the biggest games, the biggest situations, we've been through all of them together," Tatum said of his on-court partnership with Brown.
Up next for the 45-23 Celtics are the injured Golden State Warriors , who they'll host on Wednesday night during a primetime showdown. And while this contest probably won't provide Brown with a big enough stage to further his MVP case, it will give him the opportunity to continue his stellar season and keep the Celtics rolling ahead of the playoffs.
"I'm proud of my team, I'm proud of myself," he stated. "I've always felt like I could be one of the top players in the world given the opportunity, and I feel like I got to display that this season. Now the focus is getting ready for the playoffs."
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