Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has yet to watch Game 7 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Should he?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But there are reasons why the third-year wing has yet to relive his Celtics blowing a 12-point lead down the stretch to a team spearheaded by LeBron James. He can still recall the feeling.
“I was sick,” Brown told Jay King of The Athletic. “Worst feeling in the world. I associate that with probably the worst feeling that you could feel. Just to know that you were this close, and you fell short, and then you didn’t play as well as you expected to, it’s a tough feeling. But it’s a motivator as well.”
The Celtics had made the most of their home court advantage, going a perfect 10-0 into a Game 7, still holding momentum of winning by double digits in each of their home meetings against the Cavs. The Game 7 loss can be boiled down to lacking an experienced closer like Kyrie Irving to put the finishing touches, it was a reflection of how far heart and will can take a team — but everything has its limits.
“We were all majority young, not even just age-wise, just like experience-wise,” Brown said. “We had a great mindset about it and we played with a ton of heart and a ton of passion, but we made a lot of mistakes — and rightfully so. So we learned a lot. Opportunities that next time, if you get that, you need to finish it.”
Does Brown need to watch that game before these playoffs? Not really. After all the Cavs are out of these year's playoffs, and LeBron James will be absent as well — but he would be wise to learn from his previous playoff experience and improve as the Celtics tackle this postseason, once again shorthanded without Marcus Smart for the first round.
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