Jaylen Brown makes hamstring-testing play in his first 36 seconds back
Jaylen Brown made more than one fine play in his return from hamstring injury, but his first play was quick and worrisome.
Brown was originally listed as doubtful until prior to game time, but he did suit up and came in with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter. He wasted no time in testing the leg.
Exactly 36 seconds after joining his teammates on the floor, Jaylen stole the ball by sprinting (test #1) to a loose Philly ball on the floor - bending to pick it up (test #2) and getting the steal - then dashing down court (test #3) for the jam (test #4). We all breathed a sigh of relief when he remained on the floor and was effective. He looked good.
Brown went on to score 13 points in 24 minutes on 5-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-5 on three-pointers. He also had four rebounds. All four of those steps in the sprint/bend/dash/jam sequence tested that injured hamstring.
No shocker here, but Charles Barkley prior to the game, picked the 76'ers to win. Wrong again, Chuck. I felt the Celtics needed to go to Philadelphia with the two wins in Boston under their belts. This game was never in the bag until the end.
Jaylen Brown comes back with a BANG! 💥#CUsRise @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/1UZY2pGluY
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2018
Jaylen was determined to play in this game. It was Marcus Smart who turned the game around by taking the charge on Ben Simmons, but Jaylen was critical in the win. Here's hoping there are no negative repercussions from aggravation of the injury and he gets to play in the next game in Philly.
A strained hamstring didn't hamper Jaylen Brown's explosiveness Thurs. night vs. Philly. Here's how he approached his return and how he's feeling after the Game 2 win: https://t.co/zGzt1NyHuQ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 4, 2018
Jaylen Brown says the risk of re-injury is “probably pretty sizable,” but Brad Stevens says the Celtics were going to be cautious bringing him back.https://t.co/Zwx0MTLZnQ pic.twitter.com/fesog3V0Jl
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) May 4, 2018
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC
Photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports