Jaylen Brown talks about the build up to matchup vs. the Warriors, and how it made them play tense, and get away from their game.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Jaylen Brown’s shoes told the story.
For the past six months, the Boston Celtics have (quite literally) worn the scars of their NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. They’ve bottled the pain of watching Banner 18 slip away and allowed it to fuel them at the start of a new title quest.
Brown wore the same sneakers he sported for Golden State’s clinching Game 6 win to every offseason workout until they basically disintegrated. Brown showed up for Saturday night’s Finals rematch at the Chase Center in a fresh pair of the same shoes, but the symbolism was obvious.
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Any suggestion that this was just another game was preposterous.
So when many of the same issues that hindered Boston six months ago reappeared on Saturday night -- issues that the team had largely put in the rearview mirror over the first quarter of the new season -- Brown didn’t hide from the obvious.
"I think that we definitely played a little tense tonight and we've definitely got some stuff that we gotta continue to work on, for sure,” said Brown. "But last year is over. Obviously, we have to learn and grow, which we have. We played this game like we had it circled, almost in a sense, for a long time instead of just playing our game.
"Coming out, playing the way we’ve been playing, moving the ball, making shots. We were a little tense and it kind of showed. It’s only one game, it only counts as one so we get back to it, get back to the way we’ve been playing and having some fun with the game."
It is indeed only one game and that’s important to remember amid all overreactions. Jayson Tatum, fresh off a maddening 6-for-21 shooting performance that will serve as a brief speed bump in his MVP pursuit, balked at reading too much into one night.
"We’ve been playing well and to lose this one, especially the way we played, is tough,” said Tatum. "But it’s not going to dictate our season.”
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Alas, it was striking to watch the Celtics regress in so many areas that they’ve improved since the Finals.
Tatum had an improbable clunker with a chance to erase some of his Finals woes. For all the talk about Tatum muscling his way into the conversation about the best two-way players in the game, he seemingly let his shooting woes get in his head at both ends on this night.
Kendrick Perkins has candid take on Tatum's performance vs. Warriors
Malcolm Brogdon turned in exactly the sort of performance that Boston needed off its bench last season, but the rest of the reserves turned into pumpkins. When Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench in the final minutes, Boston’s backups not named Brogdon had a combined six points while missing 9 of 10 shot attempts, including all seven 3-pointers they attempted.
Amid all the hype about Tatum and Brown being the best duo in the NBA, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson offered a firm reminder of the value of championship experience. Brown was one of the few bright spots for Boston, extending another Finals theme, and routinely tried to will the Celtics back into the game.
Alas, the Celtics were too tight. They missed a bunch of free throws -- including two painful misses by Tatum with 5:02 to play and a chance to crawl within six.
The Warriors pounced immediately after. The Celtics came unglued for small stretches, highlighted by Grant Williams being ejected late in the fourth quarter for punching the ball into the stands out of frustration.
Even if it’s just one game, it’s a reminder that these Celtics still have strides to make. Their historic offense ground to a halt against Golden State’s switching and the ball movement that has highlighted Boston’s offensive explosions this season disappeared.
Saturday’s rematch had a Finals feel from the jump and few on the Celtics looked ready for the moment. The absences of Al Horford and Robert Williams loomed large as Golden State took advantage of second-chance opportunities early. But any suggestion that things might have been different at full health neglects that Golden State played without Andrew Wiggins.
Mazzulla hunted for the right lineups before going small. The Warriors carved up the Celtics when they played drop coverage with Blake Griffin on the floor.
Boston can learn from this game. Brogdon suggested it can be a positive loss and swore they’d be ready for the rematch.
“It's good to play them early in the year. In a lot of ways, it's good to get beat by them," said Brogdon. "So we understand that they're going to play their best game against us regardless of how their season is going. And we can learn from it.”
Tatum has risen to the occasion against many of his MVP brethren this season, including outdueling Ja Morant and Luka Doncic. But Curry remains a thorn in Boston’s side. Tatum also struggled to find any rhythm with Draymond Green pestering him much of the night.
Tatum will have to wait until the rematch on Jan. 19 to show this was a blip on the radar. The Celtics still have the best record in basketball, but it’s simply fair to question whether they can display championship mettle against an experienced team like Golden State.
Like Brown’s Game 6 shoes, the Celtics need to harness the frustration from this game and use it to further fuel them. Both Williams and Horford could be back before the end of this road trip. The Celtics need to bounce back and finish strong to deem this western visit a success.
Up until Saturday night, Boston had put the rest of the league on notice with their play. Golden State reminded the Celtics that there’s still work to be done to get to where they ultimately want to go.
