After a disappointing loss to open the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday, the Boston Celtics absolutely beat down the Philadelphia 76ers for a 34-point blowout in Game 2 on Wednesday, as the series is tied 1-1 with the next two games being in Philadelphia.
From the first possession, you knew Brown was going to thrive in this game. The first offensive play for the Celtics was a designed high pick-and-roll within the first 35 seconds of the game that resulted in Brown hitting a 3-pointer with Joel Embiid taking a lazy-contest towards Brown.
Brown finished with a game-high 25-points on 52.9 percent shooting from the floor and added three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in three quarters of work. He also connected for 50 percent of his 3-point shots and got to the free throw line four times.
As great as Brown was on offense, it was his defensive presence that was the difference maker in Game 2. Here’s what Al Horford said about Brown during postgame coverage on NBC Sports Boston.
“He took the challenge. He really led us. His energy, he set the tone and honestly it’s as good of a game as I’ve ever seen him play. He was so locked in, he was so poised. On the defensive end, his presence. And then on offense, continuing to make plays, he was the difference maker for us.”
From the start of the game, Brown met harden 1-on-1 before he even made it to the half court. He was pressing Harden from the start of the game and it had a lasting impact on The Beard for the majority of the game. This resulted in Harden following up his 45-point performance in Game 1 by scoring only 12-points in Game 2.
Brown held Harden to 0-of-4 shooting from the floor in Game 2.
Game 3 is set for Friday in Philadelphia at 7:30 PM.
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