How Celtics’ star Jaylen Brown’s ’embarrassing’ Heat defeat motivated NBA Finals run

DALLAS — Last May, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown felt like he let his team down on one of the biggest stages in basketball. In Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, he went 8-for-23 from the floor and had a whopping eight turnovers en route to a 103-84 loss to the Miami Heat. From that defeat, Brown only grew hungrier for a taste of playoff glory, which has been on full display against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.
I mean, last year, just falling short on your home floor, it definitely hurt,” Brown said during his Thursday afternoon press conference. “It was embarrassing, in my opinion. I felt like the team was relying on me. [Jayson Tatum] got hurt in Game 7 and I dropped the ball. To me, it was embarrassing. It drove me all summer, drove me crazy.”