BOSTON – After missing two critical free throws in the closing moments of Thursday night’s 120-117 loss to the New York Knicks, Jaylen Brown vowed to redeem himself.
Two nights later, the basketball gods gave him an opportunity to do so, and in a nearly identical scenario.
An epic, Saturday night showdown between the Boston Celtics and the archrival Los Angeles Lakers went down to the wire at TD Garden, where the C’s found themselves trailing 105-102 with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Al Horford went for the tie with a corner 3, but his attempt uncharacteristically caromed off the top of the backboard. Boston got an extra life, however, as Brown crashed in for the offensive rebound and put it in off the glass while drawing a forearm to the head from Patrick Beverly.
With 4.1 seconds remaining in a one-point ball game, destiny placed Brown back at the line with a chance at redemption.
Asked what was going through his mind as he stepped up to the stripe with the whole world watching, Brown replied, “Nothing. Clear as day. Locked in, focused on winning. No doubt in my mind.
LeBron James would miss the game-winning attempt on LA’s next trip up the floor, and the greatest rivalry matchup in basketball was headed for overtime.
Over the next five minutes, Brown kept the Celtics on his back. He scored 11 of his game-high 37 points in OT while knocking down four more clutch free-throws, leading them to a 125-121 win.
“The league gives you opportunities to constantly bounce back,” said interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, “and he’s really got a great mindset. I’m really happy for him.”
The whole team was happy for Brown. Especially Jayson Tatum, who, after Thursday night’s loss declared that he would hypothetically bet everything he owned on Brown coming through the next time he stepped to the line with a game on the line.
“For it to be the next game, it was kind of like ironic and funny in a sense,” said Tatum, who finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds. “I had no doubt in my mind that he was going to make it. I was just happy he got that opportunity – not for anybody else, but just to redeem himself.”
Brown faced more criticism than he deserved following Thursday night’s loss, as if people forgot how well he has played in the clutch all season long.
Malcolm Brogdon didn’t forget, and he knew Brown would respond right away. And what a response it was, as the seventh-year wing scored or assisted on 25 of Boston’s 44 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“He’s Jaylen Brown,” said Brogdon, who scored 26 points off the bench. “He’s an All-NBA guy and he’s an All-Star. He’s gonna bounce back, he’s gonna play great. I thought last game he played well. He missed some free throws so that overshadowed the game, but he’s been on a tear, so we expected that from him.”
More importantly, Brown expected it from himself. He knew he’d redeem himself after coming up short Thursday night. He just didn’t know the opportunity would arrive so soon.
“It’s funny how life works,” said Brown. “I knew I would get that opportunity again, but I didn’t think it would be the very next game. You step up to the line and you trust yourself and do what you gotta do. Don’t let one game define you, don’t let one moment define you. Life is about how you respond, so I look at it as a challenge. In those moments, you learn to appreciate those moments because they spark something in you to be more focused, more locked in and you have to trust and believe in yourself even more.”