Friday 22nd November 2024,
The Hoop Doctors

Jaylen Brown Went Against Doctors Orders to Play in Celtics’ Game 2 Win Over 76ers

Brown

Jaylen Brown ended up logging almost 25 minutes during the Boston Celtics’ 108-103 Game 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.

Had the team’s doctors gotten their way, though, he wouldn’t have seen a single solitary second on the court.

That’s the message Brown, along with head coach Brad Stevens, delivered after the game, per MassLive’s Tom Westerholm:

Here’s the video of his comments:

Brown suffered a right hamstring injury that limited him to around 16 minutes during Boston’s Game 7 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the previous round. He then missed Game 1 of the Sixers series, which the Celtics also won, while still recovering from the injury.

Entering Thursday’s Game 2, Brown was listed as doubtful. But while he didn’t start, he did ultimately play. His first shot of the series, in fact, was a break-away dunk, which he finished off with a wince. The Celtics basically pulled him immediately, but he would return. On various occasions, usually right before he re-entered the game, he could be seen getting stretched out on the sidelines while laying on his pack.

Hamstring injuries are fickle, so Brown took a risk by playing. At the very least, the Celtics rolled the dice by giving in to the tune of almost 25 minutes. They’ve been nothing but cautious with the health of their players, knowing that their window to win is supposed to be now, not later. Their handling of Kyrie Irving’s injury, along with Brown’s setback through Game 7 and Game 1, proves as much.

Still, this series, and now the Eastern Conference Finals, are within their grasp. They have a 2-0 lead over the Sixers, and Brown played well in his return, tallying 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting. They’ll no doubt monitor how his hamstring responds to all this action, but for now, it doesn’t appear as if Brown or the Celtics made the wrong decision.

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