The rim-rattling dunk. The primal scream. The glare at no one in particular. Jaylen Brown didn’t just return to the playoff stage on Sunday—he re-entered with a statement. And for those watching closely, that third-quarter jam in Game 1 against the Magic wasn’t just about two points. It was a warning to the locker room, a rally cry with hang time: Stay hungry. Stay physical. Stay hunting.
Because if there’s one thing Brown made clear postgame, it’s that this Celtics team can’t afford to play the role of defending champions.
“We got to have the hunter mentality,” Brown said after Boston’s 103-86 win. “We can’t be, you know… we got to set the tone, set the intensity of the game. Orlando did a great job of that in the first half. It’s going to be more fight than it is skill.”
It wasn’t always pretty. The Celtics trailed at halftime and were outworked on the glass. Orlando dictated pace early, led by a fearless Paolo Banchero (36 points). But then came the flip—fueled by transition defense, timely threes, and that Brown moment. He only scored 16 points, but his presence loomed large. Two steals. A game-changing sequence. And an emotional reminder that these playoffs will test grit as much as talent.
“Tonight we got a win, but we got to look forward to playing better,” Brown added. “This Orlando team is not going away.” His tone wasn’t celebratory. It was urgent.
Jaylen might not want to make a big celebration of tonight’s win, but his knee injury update deserves it. After all, it’s the concern that lingered over TD Garden all week. After receiving pain-killing injections and sitting the final three games of the regular season, there was real anxiety about how he’d move, land, and last. But Brown, guarded as ever, brushed it off.
“I felt good today,” he said. “Just taking it one day at a time. I haven’t played in a while, so I’m just building from here.”
That’s not just good news for Boston — it’s a sigh of relief.
According to coach Joe Mazzulla, there’s no concern in the building. “He knows how to take care of himself,” Mazzulla said. “He had some great possessions on Banchero in the first half. He’s right where he needs to be.”
This is a developing story….
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