MY ACCOUNT
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown insisted his side will continue to win games with their defense after defeating the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday.
The Celtics recovered from a disappointing first half to take a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, setting up a chance to clinch the series and an NBA Finals berth on their home floor.
Boston scored only 37 points in the first half, shooting 25 per cent from beyond the three-point arc, but only trailed by five points at the main interval.
Brown asserted that their defence is critical in limiting the damage when they are not clicking on the offensive end, keeping the team in games.
“Our defence is key,” he said after the win. “Every night we come out and hang our hat on that side of the ball. It was great to have, even in a limited role, Marcus [Smart] and Rob [Williams III], to be able to be out there, because their presence on that side of the ball is felt.
“Every night we give ourselves a chance with our defence. We didn’t play great in the first half but we only gave up 42 points. Kept us in the game, we were down five, got settled in the second half and the game opened up and it was over from there.
“Our defence is what continues to win us games and we’ve got to keep hanging our hat on that defensive side of the ball.”
In what has been a primarily defensive series, Game 5 was no different, with Miami generating a great amount of offensive impact from their defensive stops.
Brown was a prominent figure in that regard, coughing up four of Boston’s 10 turnovers for the half as the team shot 38.2 per cent from the floor.
The 25-year-old took over in the second half, however, not turning the ball over once while scoring 19 points off eight-of-12 shooting.
Post-game, he said there was little variation in approach, despite a dressing down in the first half from Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
“We knew if we took care of the basketball, we would get some open opportunities and knock them down,” Brown said. “Just continue to play basketball and be aggressive, that’s why basketball is 48 minutes.
“I think he [Udoka] was talking to the whole team. I wasn’t the only person to have some turnovers but it is what it is. I’m going to keep being aggressive, keep getting into the paint and making them stop me.
“Miami do a really good job of slapping down, reaching and grabbing and making it tough for you, so it’s a little bit of both. I’ve got to do a better job for sure, but overall as a team, we’ve got to do a better job too.”
