Moments after Jaylen Brown missed two late, important free throws that price the Celtics of their time beyond regulation loss to the Knicks on Thursday night time, Jayson Tatum had a intestine feeling about his co-star.
It wouldn’t occur the following time.
“I can’t bet on NBA games,” Tatum stated, “but I would bet everything I got he’s in that situation again, he’d knock them both down.”
He was proper, however little did he or the Celtics understand how quickly it will come.
Down by a degree, with seconds left in regulation, Brown discovered himself on the free throw line once more and wrote his redemption story. He sank the game-tying free throw that despatched the sport to time beyond regulation, then did a bit extra. Two days after certainly one of his worst video games of the season, Brown did what he vowed to do Thursday – utterly let it go and transfer – to supply a resilient efficiency in lifting the Celtics to a wild and typically chaotic 125-121 victory over the Lakers.
“For it to be the next game, it was kind of like, ironic and funny in a sense,” Tatum stated. “I used to be simply completely happy he bought that chance – not for anyone else, however simply to redeem himself.
“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.”
Brown scored 37 factors, coming alive within the fourth and time beyond regulation, Tatum put in 30 factors in 47 minutes and Malcolm Brogdon was huge with 26 factors off the bench to assist the C’s overcome 41 factors from LeBron James and snap their three-game dropping streak.
Brown’s storybook free throw and bounce-back efficiency was the important piece of this Celtics victory however solely started to inform the story of one of many wildest regular-season video games on this rivalry’s historical past – one which included huge photographs, loopy swings, blown calls and ridiculous antics – which got here after an identical epic final month in Los Angeles.
With lower than a minute left in regulation, the chaos reached absurd ranges. With the sport tied, Anthony Davis missed a 3-pointer earlier than Patrick Beverley flew in for an insane putback dunk that put the Lakers up two. After a Celtics timeout, Brown missed a fast 3-pointer earlier than Beverley corralled the rebound, however he solely made certainly one of two free throws to maintain the door open for the C’s.
Then, it bought nuts.
On the following C’s possession, Al Horford missed a 3-point try that bounced off the highest of the backboard. Brown grabbed the board, then went up for a layup. There was no foul known as, however Brown protested for one after claiming he was hit on his head by Beverley. After a delay, the decision was surprisingly granted.
“Luckily they called it and that was just the craziness of the game,” Brown stated.
With stress mounted after Thursday’s misses, Brown stepped to the road, dribbled thrice and calmly knocked it down.
What was going by way of Brown’s thoughts?
“Nothing,” he stated. “Clear as day. Locked in, focused on winning. No doubt in my mind.”
To get to time beyond regulation, although, the Celtics wanted the advantage of one other questionable officiating determination. After a timeout, James made a robust drive to the rim and missed a layup on the buzzer. But the Lakers star threw a match after not getting a foul name. He dropped to his knees in disbelief.
Replays confirmed Tatum clearly made contact with James’ left arm and may have been known as for a capturing foul. In a postgame pool report, crew chief Eric Lewis admitted his crew missed the decision.
The Celtics bought away with one, and so they knew it.
“The last two minutes and overtime was a blur,” Tatum stated with a sheepish grin when requested if he fouled James. “I don’t really know what happened. Think I have to watch the game, watch the film. Everything happened so fast. Gotta move on and we got the win. That’s all I got to say about that.”
To add to the craziness, Beverley hilariously discovered a digicam in between the tip of the fourth and time beyond regulation and walked over to an official to seemingly present him the missed name. He was assessed a technical foul, and the C’s led by one as time beyond regulation started.
The Celtics didn’t path once more, as Brown took off to attain 11 factors in time beyond regulation, together with a three-point play and pull-up triple on back-to-back possessions within the first minute. He hit one other pull-up jumper with 50.8 seconds left to place the C’s up 5 and maintain off a late rally by the Lakers.
Brown’s sport was truly largely unimpressive till the fourth. He picked up his fifth foul inside the primary minute of the fourth, and went to the bench because the Lakers constructed a lead. But he returned halfway by way of the interval and delivered when it mattered whereas efficiently avoiding fouling out. He scored 20 of his 37 factors over the ultimate 12 minutes of the sport, sparking the C’s – together with well timed buckets from Tatum and Brogdon – after a torpid three quarters.
“I’m just happy for him,” Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “The league gives you opportunities to constantly bounce back and he’s really got a great mindset, and I’m really happy for him.”
Brown took the blame for Thursday’s loss, not solely due to the missed free throws however as a result of he felt he didn’t deliver the best power as a Celtics chief, which confirmed in an 8-for-22 capturing efficiency. But he put it up to now straight away. It turned out, he wanted to.
“It’s funny how life works,” Brown stated. “Just one sport later. I knew I’d get that chance once more, however I didn’t suppose it will be the very subsequent sport. You step as much as the road and also you belief your self and do what you gotta do. Don’t let one sport outline you, don’t let one second outline you.
“Life is about how you respond, so I look at it as a challenge. In those moments, you learn to appreciate those moments because they spark something in you to be more focused, more locked in and you have to trust and believe in yourself even more. So I’m just happy we got the win, that’s it.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com