With all the reports before Game 2 that Boston Celtics second-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown was doubtful to play on Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was ultimately Brown's decision to play through a hamstring injury and that is exactly what he did.
According to Celtics beat writer Tom Westerholm of MassLive, Brown told team doctors before the game that he was fine and they decided to let him play in Boston's 108-103 victory over the Sixers at TD Garden.
“I'm not really sure what the numbers are and the risk is,” Brown said after the game. “Pretty sizeable risk probably. It was my call. The doctors didn't want me to play, I told them I'd be fine. It was all on me, but you manage it right, be smart with it, I don't expect to miss any games.”
Brown, who was given a 25-minute cap of playing time by the team doctors, came off the bench to score 13 points on an efficient 5-of-12 shooting from the field. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft also had three emphatic dunks on the night, one on an alley-oop at the end of the first half that put an exclamation point on a huge Celtics rally from being down by as many as 22 points.
After the game, Brown simply couldn't ignore how amazing the atmosphere was inside TD Garden for Game 2 and says he will remember it for the rest of his life.
“Man, I’ve never seen TD Garden like it was tonight,” Brown said. “I think I’ll remember that game forever. The way the crowd got behind us before the half. That last five minutes, man. The energy was insane. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”
Brown's full postgame interview with members of the media, which was posted to YouTube by CLNS Media Network, can be viewed below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EndqSjAtHdk
Up 2-0 in the series on Philly, Brown and the Celtics will look to push the Sixers even closer to the brink of elimination on Saturday night for Game 3 at Wells Fargo Center.
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