Jaylen Brown will be remembered as the hero in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals after hitting a clutch, game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to send the Boston Celtics to overtime, where they carried that momentum to a 133-128 over the Indiana Pacers and a 1-0 series lead.
After helping to force an Indiana turnover with just under nine seconds left in regulation, Brown received an inbound pass from Jrue Holiday in the far corner. Smothered by Pacers defender Pascal Siakam, Brown went up confidently for the 3-point shot, drilling it with just under six seconds remaining. The Pacers would fail to score, sending the game to overtime.
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Brown's clutch three was his only made 3-point attempt on the night, as he finished 1-4 from beyond the arc.
"Before the inbounds, I was just talking to myself, ‘If I get this shot, it’s going in,’" Brown said of his shot after the game. "I was just telling myself the whole time, ‘If you get it, it’s going up, and it’s going in.’
Brown finished the game with 26 points on 10 of 20 shooting from the field -- third in team scoring behind Jayson Tatum (36) and Jrue Holiday (28, a new season-high). The three All-Stars each also logged three steals, making them the first trio in NBA playoff history to log over 25 points and three steals apiece.
To top off his big night, Brown additionally logged seven rebounds, five assists, and a block.
Veteran big man Al Horford was thrilled with Brown's output in Tuesday night's win, telling NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin just how clutch Brown really was.
"JB man -- huge shot." Horford told Chin of Brown's game-saving 3-pointer. "Huge shot for us to send it into overtime, and after that, Joe [Mazzulla] said we had another opportunity, and we took advantage of it. [Brown and Tatum] stepped up and made big plays when we needed it."
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also was pleased with the team's execution on Brown's game-tying shot.
"It was a well-executed play by the guys," Mazzulla told the media following Tuesday night's win. "I thought Derrick White set a great screen, I thought Jaylen [Brown] had great balance -- a great pass [from Jrue Holiday] and a great shot -- it was a well-executed play by the guys. Good situational awareness, good execution."
After defending their home court advantage in Game 1, the Celtics will look to tighten their grip in hopes to take a 2-0 series lead as they return to TD Garden on Thursday night for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
