Jaylen reflects on awards rejection, embracing negativity after winning ECF MVP originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown’s Eastern Conference Finals began with exclusion from the All-Defensive and All-NBA teams. Finished him hoist the Larry Bird Trophy as the series MVP.
Brown let his play do the talking after his award snub, leading 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 29-point score in Game 4.
In the final minutes of the series clincher, Brown hit the game-tying shot, made a big block on Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, and then gave Derrick White what turned out to be the game-winning 3-pointer. the 105-102 victory.
Much to Brown’s surprise, Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell announced him as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Brown said of the honor. “I never win anything. I was very happy that we won.”
Asked about his disdain for the NBA after Game 2, Brown said he did not “Have time to care —” with his team two wins away from the finals. While it was the perfect response, there’s no doubt that being overlooked bothered him, especially coming off the best season of his career on both ends of the court.
On Monday night, though, he was all smiles as he held up the Bob Cousy and Larry Bird trophies.
The award rejection wasn’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 it should be.” Brown responded to Smith’s report: “State your source.”
With the Larry Bird Trophy next to his microphone on the podium, Brown talked about ignoring outside noise.
“At this point, I’m at that stage in my life where I just embrace all forms of negativity or whatever the case may be,” he said. “Some things I don’t understand. I’m not supposed to understand. But I just know who I am and what I stand for. Sometimes it makes people feel uncomfortable and sometimes I miss out on things, I miss out on opportunities, awards, deals marketing or whatever the case may be.
“At this point, I just accept that. I am who I am and I’m going to stand firm in my beliefs. And I’m one of those people who would die for what they believe in, so I just accept that at this point and I’m grateful that I can be in this position, and the energy is about to shift.”
Pundits and award voters may not appreciate the strides Brown has made in his career, but his teammates certainly do. Derrick White spoke glowingly about him after Monday’s win.
“He’s unreal,” White said of Brown. “I knew he 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.
“He was unreal all series on both sides of the ball. A complete player that you don’t see a lot of these days. On both sides of the ball he was unreal and I love being his teammate.”
Brown prided himself on his improved defense throughout the regular season. He has made it clear on multiple occasions how much it would mean to him to receive an All-Defense nod for his efforts.
He admits he was left off the list of the league’s best defenders, 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 leveled up and increased. I took the matchup, got guys full court, chased guys off screens, fought with the big guys and felt like I should have been All-Defensive. That probably hurt me the most because that’s one of the things I wanted to be this season .
“But, you know, as time went on and I got to that 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 I really care about, but I like just being a versatile, two-way winger and I can do the two things at any time. The last four minutes of this game, you saw that.
Brown and the C’s will have plenty of time to recharge as Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals is set for Thursday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET at TD Garden. Boston will face the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in Banner 18.
You can See the full finals schedule here.
