Jaylen Brown, the Celtics prove they don’t take any mess just yet originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
two years ago, after an on-court flare-up involving Joel EmbiidBoston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown stated that the team would no longer be taking any mess.
It seems that rule still applies.
The Bucks hit the Celtics with some haymakers on Sunday in Milwaukee, first jumping out to a 14-point lead in the opening minutes, then when Giannis Antetokounmpo hit Brown with one of his trademark swinging elbows.
As the two players walked up the court after the offensive foul, Antetokounmpo extended his hand in apparent apology. When Brown finally committed, Antetokounmpo quickly pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair in the kind of playground move most of us haven’t seen since junior high.
The Celtics were trailing by double digits at that point. They outscored the Bucks 81-65 in the aftermath. Brown repeatedly accepted the challenge of defending Antetokounmpo and their battles crescendoed when Brown drew a hard foul on an Antetokounmpo drive midway through the fourth quarter. The play was upgraded to Flagrant 1, but a message was delivered.
These Celts are still not hunting.
“Giannis is a kid,” Brown told reporters after the game. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win. And that’s what we did tonight.”
The Celtics have operated with a very businesslike demeanor the last two seasons. They know how good they are — they have a shiny gold trophy to prove it — and they don’t seem to have time for teams that try to get under their skin.
Antetokounmpo’s elbow to Brown’s dome wasn’t his only questionable moment of the matinee. He also slid under Jayson Tatum’s foot on a corner 3-point attempt, causing Tatum to land awkwardly on Antetokounmpo’s foot. Tatum expressed frustration that the refs missed the call at that moment and noted how he could have been hurt on the play.
Milwaukee has issues much bigger than Antetokounmpo’s childhood streak. The Bucks are 2-8, barely out of the basement in the Eastern Conference, and not getting any younger. Sunday could have been a chance for the former champions to show they could still turn it around against a rival opponent; instead the Celtics beat the Bucks for the second time in two weeks.
Brown showed obvious rust in his first tilt back after missing four games due to hip disease. Brown missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted but continued to leave his mark on the win, especially with his willingness to play defensively with Antetokounmpo. The Celtics posted a defensive rating of 82.1 in Brown’s 20 minutes of second-half floor time after the Bucks had an offensive rating of 132.7 in the first half.
The Celtics and Bucks have their third (and final) meeting of the regular season in Boston on December 6. We won’t have to wait long for Brown and Antetokounmpo to renew acquaintances. Who knows what Milwaukee’s roster will look like the next time the Celtics see them after that?
But the difference in how Brown and the Celtics delivered Sunday’s flares — and Antetokounmpo’s reaction — speaks volumes about two teams seemingly headed in different directions. That Jrue Holiday, the former champion dumped by Milwaukee to add Damian Lillard, had his fingerprints all over Boston’s late exploits must also sting.
The Bucks won’t be the last team desperate to knock off the Celtics. But Brown reaffirmed what we already knew: The Celtics aren’t taking any chances. They have no time for your jokes. This team’s chance to solidify itself as one of the elite squads in NBA history will not be derailed by teams trying to distract them from the ultimate goal.
Poke this bear at your own risk.
