NBA FINALS: CELTICS VS. WARRIORS

June 7, 2022

Jaylen Brown

Boston Celtics

Practice Day

Q. After looking at video of Game 2, what did you take away from that? What did you take away from the shots you got after the first quarter?

JAYLEN BROWN: I feel like we got a lot of good looks. Some didn't go down. I felt like I got a lot of good looks.

We looked at the tape, got some points of emphasis for next game, spacing, setting screens, et cetera. Just clear a little bit more space out.

I felt like I got some pretty good shots that didn't go in. I'll be ready for Game 3.

Q. Draymond did a lot of freelancing, Ime called [it] a lot of bluffing. After the last few series where you had to figure out how they were trying to stop your drives, what did you see over the last few games? How do you plan to solve it?

JAYLEN BROWN: Same as coming to other series. Miami, same thing. Milwaukee, same thing. Trying to keep me from getting to the basket, keep those lanes kind of closed off.

We just got to find ways to find space, we got to set screens, find ways to get open, then make quick decisions, stuff like that.

Nothing we haven't seen before.

Q. We talked a lot after the last game about the moment you had with Draymond. They switched the matchup to put him on you. How did that tilt things for you? How did that change the opportunities you get? How do you need to attack that better?

JAYLEN BROWN: We just make adjustments. They put Draymond on me, took Klay off me, put him on to be more physical like in other series, other teams tried to do, just be more physical, just try to make it hard for me to catch the ball or put me in tough spots to be successful.

So just negate that, set the screens, make some adjustments and be ready for Game 3.

Q. Klay is a pretty unique guy to cover. What do you feel like you guys are doing well against him? What's kind of the key since you're the primary guy on him?

JAYLEN BROWN: I think he's just missing shots. We're going to continue to make it tough for him. That player, he can get it going at any moment. We're aware of that. We trying to prepare ourselves to make sure that doesn't happen.

But we got to do a better job, to be honest. Not doing a good enough job on Klay Thompson. He can get it going any moment.

Q. When you have turnover problems in the Playoffs, is there specific things that happen that cause it, or has it been different things?

JAYLEN BROWN: Yeah, for the most part it's usually the same things: spacing, we get on top of each other, or we don't move with purposeful actions all the time, don't set screens the way we need to, get jumbled up together, which allows them to guard us a lot better or a lot easier than they should be.

We just got to emphasize our spacing and be ready for what they do best and do what we do best.

Q. Ime talked about how he addressed the emotions of Game 2, how he would handle it, how you guys should handle it. What was his message in terms of awareness of Draymond's technical/flagrant situation?

JAYLEN BROWN: Don't get caught up in that. Just do what we do best. We ain't got time for that. Just come out and play basketball, let everything else take care of itself.

I'm going to come out, do my job. Everybody needs to come out and do their job. We're here to play basketball, so don't get caught up in all the antics and stuff like that. Just come out and play.

Q. I understand this is the Finals, it's about trying to win a championship. I just remember a couple years ago in the bubble the players led a lot of the discussion in terms of social justice, lead to get Bucks not playing. Whether it's the gun violence we've seen in the country or some of the other things going on in the country, do you think it would ever rise to a moment where players or coaches or maybe both would say, we know it's the Finals, but I can't play tonight?

JAYLEN BROWN: It could. You keep an open mind. You never know. Definitely things need to be addressed. Sometimes people argue and say stopping a basketball game or something, what effect is that actually going to have on society.

I would say in response it raises awareness. That's important. It gets people's attention. It's a topic that's being talked about now. Certainly people have pressure on them. Changes need to start to get made.

So I definitely think it's an effective strategy that could work. Do I have the answer if that's something we will see in the near future? I don't. But we'll see.