On Wednesday night, Jaylen Brown was left off of All-NBA teams despite having the best two-way season of his career.
So, on Thursday night, he exploded for 40 points – tied for a postseason career-high – as the Celtics beat the Pacers 126-110 to take a 2-0 series lead.
So, did the All-NBA snub serve as motivation?
“We’re two games from the Finals,” Brown said flatly postgame. “Honestly, I don’t got the time to give a f***.”
He certainly played like someone focused on a goal larger than a personal accolade; even when Brown had it going, he opted to find his teammates, twice kicking it out to Derrick White for open three-pointers in the third quarter despite the Pacers being unable to answer him defensively.