The Golden State Warriors on Sunday tried an unusual defensive approach against the Boston Celtics. To say that it didn’t work might be the understatement of the season so far.
The Celtics completely dismantled the Warriors in a 140-88 affair at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
The home team outscored the visitors by 22 points in each of the first two quarters. Boston was ahead by a stunning 82-38 margin at halftime and pushed their lead to as high as 56 points in the third quarter.
Part of the Warriors’ game plan early in the contest was to dare Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown to shoot. Throughout the majority of the first quarter, the Warriors treated Brown like he was Ben Simmons.
But Brown is far from incapable of hitting a wide open jumper. He torched the Warriors for 19 points and 5 threes in the opening quarter alone. The bold strategy also fired up the usually mild-mannered Brown more than normal.
Wow, VERY rare to see this out of Jaylen Brown during Q1 of a game. Goes to the TO late bc he wanted to play up to the crowd at mid court. Think he might've been irked by the game plan Golden State brought into today, to basically entice him to shoot? pic.twitter.com/MfRHMXaGOl
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) March 3, 2024
During his postgame press conference, Brown was asked about the “mind games” that Golden State may have been playing while daring him to shoot.
“First time it’s ever happened to me,” said Brown. “Honestly, I was a bit surprised. Took a little bit of adjusting. … But if you want to dare me to shoot, we can do that too. I thought it was a little disrespectful. But we took advantage of it and we didn’t look back.”
Jaylen Brown on the Warriors game:
“If you want to dare me to shoot, we can do that too. I thought it was a bit disrespectful.” pic.twitter.com/81Wao466uC
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) March 3, 2024
Brown added that he’s primarily played the role of penetrator in what’s been a supercharged Celtics offense this season. Boston entered Sunday’s contest with the best offensive rating in the NBA, and Brown’s drives have been a key component of their success.
The 3-time All-Star has taken 5.6 three-pointers over his first 54 games played this season, which is the lowest mark over his last five years. But Brown is a respectable 36.3% career three-point shooter. Perhaps the Warriors mixed up Brown’s shooting splits when they were concocting their unusual defensive scheme.
The Celtics are reportedly working on a “Last Dance”-style documentary this season. Brown’s memorable 29-point night against the Warriors on Sunday probably will get a mention if it ever airs.
