Brooklyn Nets forward Bruce Brown was quick to grab the attention of the Boston Celtics with his comments about their upcoming first-round playoff series.
"Now they don't have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint, and we could attack Al Horford and (Daniel) Theis," Brown told reporters after the Nets earned the No. 7 seed Tuesday night. "So them not having Robert Williams is huge."
Forsberg: Jaylen Brown's unwavering faith in Celtics is being rewarded
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Brown's teammate, Nets superstar Kevin Durant, was quick to say he didn't like the comments. Durant is experienced enough to know that giving unsolicited bulletin board material to your opponent typically is a bad idea.
The Celtics have been asked about Brown's trash talk in pretty much every media availability since Tuesday night. Veteran center Daniel Theis and C's head coach Ime Udoka both had interesting responses.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown reacted with a shorter, simple, yet emphatic response to Brown's bold comments about Boston's big men.
"We respond with action," Brown told reporters Thursday. "We'll be ready to go on Sunday."
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Brown seems more motivated than normal entering the 2022 playoffs. Remember, he didn't play against the Nets in last season's first-round series because of injury. The Celtics, without Brown, didn't have enough offensive firepower to match a Nets squad that had Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Brooklyn won the series in five games.
Brown is healthy and playing at a high level, the Celtics have homecourt advantage, and now they have the Nets giving them extra motivation with postgame comments. The stage is set for the C's to make a statement in the series opener Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.