Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown set the tone early in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Miami Heat.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Brown drove to his right and spun baseline, finishing with an easy dunk over Miami small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., which gave the Celtics a 5-0 lead.
Brown’s play spurred a 14-0 run for the first three minutes of the first quarter, helping the Celtics race to a 60-45 lead in the first half. Thus far, he has five points, two assists and four rebounds.
Last season, the Heat upset the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown struggled in a 103-84 loss in Game 7, going 8-of-23 from the field.
“You don’t forget, but you do your best to live in the moment,” Brown said of the playoff disappointment on Saturday via CLNS Media in Boston. “You learn from those experiences, and you can’t bring those thoughts into it.”
Brown’s not letting the 2023 loss to Miami affect his psyche, and he’s ready to help the Celtics win their first title since 2007-08. As of Sunday, FanDuel gives Boston the best championship odds (+120).