“It just wasn’t our year.”
Jaylen Brown emphasized that point several times Friday night after the Boston Celtics’ season-ending 119-81 loss to the New York Knicks. The reigning NBA champions were outclassed as they trailed by as many as 41 points in the Game 6 defeat.
The Knicks winning the series in six games was a stunning outcome. The C’s entered as heavy favorites, but New York jumped out to a 2-0 series lead and eventually finished the job in front of its home crowd.
Brown didn’t sugarcoat how he felt about an archrival ending his season, but he offered a refreshing perspective on the Celtics’ future.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death, but I was always taught there is life after death,” he said. “So we’ll get ready for whatever’s next. Whatever’s next in the journey, I’ll be ready for.”
Between Jayson Tatum’s devastating Achilles injury and the lopsided Game 6 loss, the Celtics’ 2024-25 campaign couldn’t have ended on a much more sour note. On top of that, Boston is likely to part ways with multiple key players this offseason to avoid hefty luxury tax penalties.
While Brown understands the general feeling of unease surrounding the team, he is entering the offseason with a positive mindset.
“This journey’s not the end. It’s not the end for me,” Brown said. “You just take this with a chin up… I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now with JT being out…but there’s a lot to look forward to, and I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end.”
Brown logged a team-high 20 points with six rebounds and six assists before fouling out in the third quarter of Game 6. Although he was Boston’s only consistent scorer, he accounted for seven of the team’s 15 turnovers.
A nagging knee injury hampered Brown for a chunk of the second half of the season and the playoffs. He wasn’t listed on the injury report in recent games, but the 28-year-old acknowledged that he wasn’t 100 percent. He is uncertain about whether he will have to have a procedure to fix the issue.
That’s one of many question marks surrounding the Celtics as their season comes to a close. As Boston’s offseason begins, the Knicks will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Indiana Pacers.
Watch Brown’s full postgame press conference below:
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