Even though Kristaps Porzingis had been impressive in his return, Jaylen Brown had been the most dominant player in Game 1 of the 2024 Finals, calming the Mavericks' run in the third quarter.
Was Jason Kidd surprised by the performance of the full-back/winger, his team's best player in this match?
“Well, Jaylen is their best player, so.” replies the Dallas coach. “Look what he did on defense, taking on Luka all over the field. By going to the free throw line. He did everything and that's what your best player does. He plays at a high level on both ends of the floor, offense and defense, and he's done that throughout the playoffs. He was the Conference Finals MVP and he picked up where he left off. »
A trap for Jayson Tatum?
A statement that is already causing quite a stir, when Jaylen Brown was not even elected to an All-NBA Team, when Jayson Tatum was in the first, and which is likely to liven up the conversations between now and Game 2 .
But no doubt Jason Kidd thought about it, in a little mental game with the Celtics…
Is he trying to divide the “Jay's” or push Jayson Tatum to force, even though the Mavericks continually came to his aid during Game 1, when he was penetrating, in order to force him to let go of the ball?
“We just have to be more physical with him, keeping him away from the free throw line and the paint because he was scoring or getting the foul.” he concludes his compliments about Jaylen Brown.
“We know they're going to try to divide us, and I think it's a smart thing to do, but people have been trying to do this for years… This isn't our first rodeo.” however replied Jayson Tatum.
| Jaylen Brown | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | BOS | 78 | 17 | 45.4 | 34.1 | 68.5 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| 2017-18 | BOS | 70 | 31 | 46.5 | 39.5 | 64.4 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 14.5 |
| 2018-19 | BOS | 74 | 26 | 46.5 | 34.4 | 65.8 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 13.0 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 57 | 34 | 48.1 | 38.2 | 72.4 | 1.1 | 5.3 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 20.3 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 58 | 35 | 48.4 | 39.7 | 76.4 | 1.2 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.6 | 24.7 |
| 2021-22 | BOS | 66 | 34 | 47.3 | 35.8 | 75.8 | 0.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 23.6 |
| 2022-23 | BOS | 67 | 36 | 49.1 | 33.5 | 76.5 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 26.6 |
| 2023-24 | BOS | 70 | 34 | 49.9 | 35.4 | 70.3 | 1.2 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 23.0 |
| Total | 540 | 30 | 48.0 | 36.4 | 72.0 | 1.0 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 18.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
