ICYMI: Jaylen Brown celebrates with Kevin Garnett after ruthlessly dunking over Maxi Kleber during Dallas Mavericks-Boston Celtics game
Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics failed to deliver a win on franchise legend Kevin Garnett's jersey retirement ceremony day.
It was a close encounter that went in favor of the Dallas Mavericks by a 92-95 margin. While Garnett could not celebrate a win at the end of the match, he had plenty of moments to cheer about during the contest.
Brown was responsible for one of those moments as he posterized Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber, which got Kevin Garnett out of his seat. Brown and KG even dapped each other up at the end of the play.
Watch the moment here:
OH MY GOODNESS JAYLEN BROWN https://t.co/qMxlmLVKSL
It was an emotional night for Kevin Garnett as he saw his #5 jersey go up in the rafters of the TD Garden. The Hall of Famer led the Boston Celtics to their record 17th NBA title in 2008, beating Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers 4-2.
Garnett's former co-stars Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were also in attendance for this historic night. The three even hugged it out when KG delivered his speech during the ceremony.
"It's good to see Ray Allen here." 💚
THIS moment #BleedGreen @paulpierce34 @KevinGarnett5KG https://t.co/yUlSMwnFmY
Boston Celtics have their five-game winning run snapped on Kevin Garnett's jersey retirement game
The Boston Celtics have made a remarkable turnaround this season. They were 16-19 for the year at one stage and have overturned that rough start to improve to a 41-28 record now. The Cs have been the league's best defensive team for quite a while now, with a defensive rating of 105.6.
They have recorded nine-game and five-game winning streaks between January and now. Jayson Tatum has been exceptional during this stretch, averaging 27.9 points per game on 47% field goal shooting. The Celtics have been a dominant force at home and boast a 24-12 record playing at TD Garden.
They were favored to win against the Dallas Mavericks on Kevin Garnett's jersey retirement ceremony but came up short by three points. Tatum led the team's charge with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but wasn't that efficient as he had 23 shot attempts.
Boston struggled to find quality scoring opportunities consistently, making only 37% of their field goals and nine three-pointers on the night. Nevertheless, the Mavericks are an equally good team, if not better, who also rely heavily on their defense. It was always going to be a tough matchup for both teams to secure a win.
The Boston Celtics have been excellent at bouncing back from losses over the last few weeks. They will be eager to do better in their next game against the in-form Golden State Warriors.