Jaylen Brown sets the tone in Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals as the Celtics take a 2-1 lead over Golden State.
• Full coverage: NBA Finals 2022
BOSTON – Jaylen Brown recorded an entry into the Boston franchise tradition by dragging Golden State by 17 points in the opening stanza of the Celtics’ 116-100 victory in the third game. The mark tied Ray Allen with the most points scored by a Celtic in any quarterfinal of the last 50 years.
In the process, Brown joined ElBron’s elite company James, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter and James Harden as players since 1997 to rack up at least 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the first quarter. of a playoff game. .
“I think it was one of his best games to organize the guys in the places he wanted and get our space right, and attack from there,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “I think it was an almost perfect night in terms of the readings he did with his aggression looking to score, but also one, two races and finding guys all over the track.”
The play of Brown (27 points), Jayson Tatum (26) and Marcus Smart (24) pushed Boston to a 2-1 lead in this series to the best of seven. They became the first trio to produce at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NBA Finals game since 1984, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper achieved the feat by playing Los Angeles Lakers.
Interestingly, the third game marked only the third game in the Boston history final that ended with three Celtics scoring at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. John Havlicek, Bill Russell and Larry Siegfried were the last Boston trio to reach these marks during a 1968 Final Clash.
Udoka entered the season with a desire to use Brown more as a ball manager to add diversity to an offense that had become dependent on Tatum, the club’s young superstar. Brown admits that “experience is the best teacher,” even after schooling the Warriors in one of their most complete performances in this series.
Jaylen Brown finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help the Celtics put a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
“This is the year I was able to play a lot more with the ball in my hands,” Brown said after Thursday’s practice at TD Garden. “Other years before, I think the size of my sample was much smaller. I thank Ime for trusting me to say, ‘No, we’ll put the ball in his hands.’ growth from here. “
The Boston trio takes over most of the places in this latest installment of our MVP ladder of the race in the 2022 NBA Finals, with Warriors Curry and Klay Thompson guarding the last two positions. while the series continues Friday with Game 4 at TD Garden.
And now, the top 5 of our 2022 NBA Finals MVP race after Game 3:
1. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown starts with 17 points in the first quarter of Game 3.
NBA Finals stats: 22.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.3 apg
Brown has started quickly in each of his last two games. The scout led Boston with a 22-point lead in the first half alone, throwing 8 of 13 (4 of 6 vs. 3) and only made two losses overnight. Brown gets a lot of love for the attack, but like Tatum, the 25-year-old is a two-way threat to the Celtics offensive defense.
“He plays on both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “[For] everyone on our team sets a tone. From top to bottom, when you step on that track, it’s best to take it to both ends of the ball. “
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry added 31 points in the third game loss.
NBA Finals stats: 31.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.7 apg
The Warriors are 5-0 up this postseason after a loss, and it’s up to Curry to improve on that record in Game 4. He’s had a good performance in the first three games as the team’s most consistent offensive contributor, chaining three. consecutive finals. games with at least five triples, which ties JR Smith (2017) with the longest streak in a single final. Curry remains the only annals player in the league to have achieved this feat on several occasions throughout his career. In the third quarter, Curry served as the catalyst for an exciting seven-point possession that propelled the Warriors to an 83-82 lead with 3:45 for the end of the third quarter.
3. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
NBA Finals stats: 22.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 8.3 apg
Jayson Tatum says the Eastern Conference race prepared him for this time of the Final.
Tatum has scored 26 points or more in 28 postseason games of his career, placing the Celtics winger in third place behind Kobe Bryant (2,155 points) and LeBron James (1,761) on the all-time list with more postseason points before age 25. Golden State is making Tatum work very hard for everything he has achieved so far in this series. Well. One of the main areas where Tatum is excellent is the creation of attacks for teammates (nine assists, the maximum game), while choosing the optimal moments of the games to assert themselves. If you take me out on the 3rd, Tatum will drive you to the frame. In transition, the Celtic star is also quite deadly.
4. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
NBA Finals stats: 17.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg
Klay Thompson exploded by 25 points against the Celtics in the third game.
He finished with 25 points in Game 3, marking the 39th time he has achieved this total in his postseason career. Thompson knocked down five triples in the losing effort, while Curry brought in six cubes from the range. Did you know that Golden State now has an all-time 6-2 in the NBA Finals when Thompson and Curry connect with at least four triples each? Thompson’s last group in Game 3 led Golden State to four points with 38.3 seconds left in the third quarter. “From watching the movie, I think on the defensive we need to be better and play with a little more strength,” Thompson said after Thursday’s practice.
5. Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
NBA Finals stats: 14.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.7 apg
Smart: The “Nasty” Game 2 movie session brought about a change
Like Tatum and Brown, Smart has been a two-way issue for the Warriors in this series. After his 14th 20-point postseason performance in his career, Smart has also drawn three or more triples on 22 occasions in the playoffs. “We have to replicate what we did in Game 3,” Smart said. “We just controlled the game, [played] the game we wanted to play ”. His teammate Robert Williams III could take that place just as easily, given his monstrous defensive output with 10 rebounds, three steals and four blocks in Game 3.
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Michael C. Wright is a senior NBA.com writer. You can email him here, find his file here, and follow him on Twitter.
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