Jaylen reflects on awards snubs, embraces negativity after winning ECF MVP originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown’s Eastern Conference Finals began by being left off the All-Defensive and All-NBA teams. I finish with him Hoisting the Larry Bird Trophy as the MVP of the series.
Brown let his play do the talking after his award snubs, propelling Boston to the NBA Finals with stellar performances in all four games. His series was highlighted by a 40-point outburst in Game 2 and a key 29-point outing in Game 4.
In the final minutes of the series decider, Brown hit the game-tying shot, got a big block on Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, and then hit Derrick White with what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer. . the 105-102 victory.
To Brown’s surprise, Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell announced him as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” Brown said of the honor. “I never win shit. I was just happy I won.”
When asked about his All-NBA snub after Game 2, Brown stated that he didn’t “I have time to not give a damn” with his team two wins away from the Final. While it was the perfect response, there’s no doubt that being ignored bothered him, especially after the best season of his career on both ends of the floor.
However, on Monday night, he was all smiles while holding the Bob Cousy and Larry Bird trophies.
The awards snubs weren’t the only negativity surrounding Brown during this series. Before Game 4, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported What a source told him about Brown: “It’s not so much that he’s underrated. It’s that he’s just not liked because of his ‘I’m better than you’ attitude… It’s the same reason he’s not as marketable as he should be.” be.” Brown responded to Smith’s report: “Please indicate the source of it.”
With the Larry Bird Trophy sitting next to his microphone on the podium, Brown spoke openly about ignoring outside noise.
“At this point, I’m in that phase of my life where I just accept all forms of negativity or whatever the case may be,” he said. “Some things I don’t understand. It’s not meant for me to understand. But I just know who I am and what I stand for. Sometimes it makes people uncomfortable and sometimes I miss things, I miss out on opportunities, awards, job offers.” marketing or whatever the case may be.
“At this point, I just accept it. I am who I am and I’m going to stand by my beliefs. And I’m one of those people who would die for what they believe in, so I just accept it at this point and I’m grateful that I can be in this position.” , and the energy is about to change.”
Pundits and award voters may not appreciate the strides Brown has made in his career, but his teammates do. Derrick White spoke glowingly about him after Monday’s win.
“It’s unreal,” White said of Brown. “I knew it was unreal when I got here, but the best thing about JB is that he has improved every year he has been in this league, which is a testament to his hard work and dedication.
“This whole series was unreal on both sides of the ball. A complete player that you don’t see much these days. He was unreal on both sides of the ball, and I love being his teammate.”
Brown took pride in his improved defense during the regular season. He made it known on multiple occasions how much it would mean to him to get a defensive nod for his efforts.
He admits that being excluded from the list of the league’s best defensive players hurts, but he hasn’t let the omission affect his confidence.
“I think I’m one of the best two-way wings, guards, whatever you want to say, in this game,” he said. “I thought this year I had taken a level and raised it. I took the matchup, I picked guys all over the court, I took guys off screens, I battled with the bigs and I felt like I should have been in All-Defensive that It probably hurt me more because that’s one of the things I set out this season that I wanted to be.
“But, you know, as time went on and I got to this point, I stopped caring. I don’t care who sees what, as long as my team knows my value, my city knows my value, my family, that’s all. which really matters to me. But I like to focus on being a versatile two-way wing and I can do both at any time. The last four minutes of this game, you saw it.
Brown and the C’s will have plenty of time to recharge as Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at 8 pm ET at TD Garden. Boston will battle either the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves for Banner 18.
Can See the complete schedule of the finals here.