BOSTON — Jaylen Brown had never experienced the St. Patrick’s Day parade before this weekend. After riding on a float Sunday in this year’s event, he understood the vibe perfectly.
“It felt like there was like a million people out there,” Brown said. “There was a lot of people out there, and it was cold, and it was early, but it felt like the whole city was drunk.”
The annual parade, one of Boston’s most storied traditions, shuts down the streets of South Boston and gives the whole city a chance to celebrate. As Brown rode throughout the neighborhood, the parade goers showed him how much he meant to them. Not knowing the magnitude of the event before participating in it, he called the experience surreal.
Brown had been in a championship parade. He had heard chants of his name plenty of times before. Still, soaking up M-V-P calls in that environment hit differently for him than at TD Garden.
“I think that might have been a little cooler,” Brown said.
Brown could compare the two types of M-V-P chants accurately. Both were fresh in his mind. One day after experiencing the city’s fondness for him at the parade, he heard several more M-V-P chants while scoring 41 points in the Boston Celtics’ 120-112 win over the Phoenix Suns.
“It’s pretty cool,” Brown said. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s pretty awesome at this point in my career to be able to get that love from the fans.”
Brown earned it again Monday. After the Suns surged ahead in the fourth quarter, he willed the Celtics to their 15th win in their last 20 games. The final minutes overflowed with hustle plays by Brown: He dove into the first row of the stands to try to save a loose ball, crashed into the first row again after colliding with Jordan Goodwin in a race to gain possession, and sneaked behind Devin Booker for a steal before dishing the ball to Jayson Tatum for a fast-break layup. That connection cut the Celtics’ deficit to 1.
“It felt like old times,” Tatum said.
But now, Brown is better. As he dominated on both ends, the Celtics closed the game on a 14-2 run over the final 4:46. Brown tracked down an offensive rebound and converted a putback layup to put the Celtics back on top with 2:30 left. Moments later, after grabbing a defensive rebound, Brown propelled himself into the Suns interior defense to earn his 20th and 21st free-throw attempts of the game. After another Celtics stop, he added to his team’s lead by finishing a short jumper through contact to surpass the 40-point mark for the sixth time this season.
“His ability to spread the floor, get into the paint, make plays for himself or others, combat their physicality with offensive physicality and drives, I thought he took that challenge on,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought he was great in it. But besides the 41 points, I think really he made a big-time steal. … Had some great deflections. … I thought it was just a well-rounded game for him on both sides of the floor.”
Brown scored 10 of Boston’s final 16 points. He collected 18 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in the fourth quarter alone.
Jaylen Brown took over for the Celtics down the stretch against the Suns. (Brian Fluharty / Imagn Images)
Brown’s game is often graceful. He twists into fadeaway jumpers. He glides toward the rim. He accelerates into beautiful finishes. But he can also succeed by overwhelming opponents with physicality. He did that at times last week in Oklahoma City while drawing 14 free-throw attempts against the rugged Thunder. Against Phoenix, he again fought force with force.
Brown willed his way to big plays on both ends of the court. While trying to blast through the physical Suns defense, he earned 10 of his 21 free-throw attempts in the first quarter.
“I just came out and was aggressive,” Brown said. “What I think about when I have the ball is just be aggressive every time you have it, and then live with the results. So I was physical. Maybe they didn’t help as much because, you know, our personnel. We got, you know, obviously, JT out there. So maybe it’s less of a shift guy, because you don’t want to leave him open. So they gave me opportunities to play, and I just did what I normally do.”
Brown also continued his run of quality playmaking with six assists. It was the eighth time in the last nine games he has recorded at least that many.
“I’ve been able to be in this like in a role where I’ll be able to kind of control things and everybody’s kind of playing off me,” Brown said. “I’ve been in those roles seldom over the years, but this year, for an extended amount of time, I’ve been able to be in that position. Honestly, I feel like I still have a lot of room to grow. I feel like even now, over the last couple of games, I’ve adjusted my game, and I’m still continuing to get better. I think my playmaking ability, seeing the floor, taking my time, all of that stuff is still continuing to improve.”
When Brown checked out with 3.2 seconds left, the crowd thanked him with one last standing ovation. Boston’s bond with Brown has thickened over the years because of how he embraces the city, but the connection started with the fans’ appreciation of his indomitable playing style. He might screw up, but he will never shy away from a moment. He might lose, but he will always return a better and more complete player. The Celtics were expected to fall off this season, but he and his proud teammates wouldn’t let it happen.
Love is one of Brown’s prizes. Even for a player of his stature, M-V-P chants are meaningful. They might be especially meaningful to Brown, who has built himself up year after year to make this rewarding season possible.
“It’s been a great year,” Brown said. “I’m extremely grateful. All praise to the Most High. Just the approach from the beginning of the summer to where we’re at now, I’m proud of my team, I’m proud of myself, all of the above. I’ve always felt like I could be one of the top players in the world, given the opportunity, and I feel like I got to display that this season. So now the focus is just get ready for the playoffs. It’s kind of like my mentality now. Stay healthy. But you know, I’ve had a great year. I’m extremely grateful. Grateful to my teammates, and it’s been fun.”