"He loses control of his body" - ECF MVP Jaylen Brown opens up about heated altercation with Myles Turner during Game 4
Boston Celtics star wing Jaylen Brown and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner engaged in a heated altercation during Monday's Game 4 Eastern Conference finals clash. Afterward, Brown opened up about what sparked the incident.
With Indiana leading 69-67 with 7:42 remaining in the third quarter, Turner banged into Boston guard Derrick White while attempting to post him up. The collision sent White tumbling to the floor, with Turner receiving an offensive foul.
Brown seemingly took exception to the big man's hard foul, as he walked over and shoved him in the shoulder with his left hand. Turner pushed the three-time All-Star back with two hands, sending him stumbling out of bounds. After jawing back and forth, they were assessed with double technical fouls.
However, Brown and White later got revenge. White hit a go-ahead corner 3-pointer off an assist from Brown to give the Celtics a 105-102 lead with 43.9 seconds remaining in the game. The shot ultimately decided the contest, as no other player scored in the ensuing seconds.
Moreover, Brown finished with a game-high 29 points, six rebounds, three steals and four 3-pointers on 50.0% shooting, leading Boston to a 4-0 series sweep.
His strong outing capped off a dominant conference finals run. He averaged 29.8 points per game on 51.7% shooting over four outings, earning this year's East finals MVP award.
When asked about his altercation with Turner postgame, Brown highlighted how the big man was too physical with his team all series. So, he wanted to send him a warning. However, the 27-year-old noted that he has no ill will toward Turner.
"Myles is a good kid. Let's start with that," Brown said. "Throughout the series, he loses control of his body a little bit. ... I was just letting him know, 'Just watch it.' ... He feels like he's at home, his family is watching. His girl is probably watching, and he had to do something. I've known Myles for a long time. ... It's all love."
While Brown thrived on Monday, Turner struggled mightily, tallying only eight points and four rebounds with four turnovers on 33.3% shooting. His Pacers' surprise conference finals run concluded in four games despite three of their four losses coming by five or fewer points.
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Jaylen Brown on stepping up as playoff leader
With Monday's Game 4 win over Indiana, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics advanced to their second NBA Finals in three years. Following their victory, the East finals MVP touched on his increased leadership role.
Brown noted that he embraced being more of a vocal leader this year after veteran guard Marcus Smart was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason. He added that his leadership culminated with Boston playing sound team basketball to advance to the finals.
"We had some guys leave, so I wanted to make sure that void was filled," Brown said.
"Marcus Smart, one of my brothers, got traded. He was one of the voices of our team. So, when he wasn't here, I wanted to make sure I stepped in. ... We didn't skip any steps all season. I think we played the right way every single game. I've held everybody accountable, and this is the byproduct."
Jaylen Brown and Co. now await the winner of the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves' Western Conference finals series. The Mavericks lead the Timberwolves 3-0 with a chance to advance to the finals during Tuesday's Game 4 showdown in Dallas.
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