Celtics’ Jaylen Brown gets brutally honest on Pacers’ Michael Jordan-level transformation in wild Game 3

Jaylen Brown had quite a comparison for the Pacers and their crazy shotmaking abilities in their Game 3 battle.

The Boston Celtics pulled off a wild comeback victory in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers, and in the process, they earned a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114-111 victory. It wasn’t easy, though, due in large part to the Pacers’ incredible shot-making ability throughout this game, which led to a hilarious admission from Jaylen Brown after the game.

Brown followed up his 40-point outing in Game 2 with a solid performance (24 PTS, 3 AST, 2 REB, 10/18 FGM), but for much of the game, it looked like it wasn’t going to matter what he or the Celtics did on offense, because the Pacers were hitting pretty much every shot they took. After the game, Brown credited Indiana for their strong outing, but he was shocked to see them morph into a bunch of Michael Jordans based on how many incredible shots they were hitting.

“Some of those guys turned into f*cking Michael Jordan or whatever” Jaylen Brown speaks on Pacers performance tonight 😳 (🎥 @CelticsCLNS)

Jaylen Brown, Celtics manage to overcome Pacers’ hot shooting in Game 3

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

With Tyrese Haliburton out for Game 3 due to a hamstring injury, the Pacers relentlessly attacked the C’s in the paint and midrange areas, and for the first two-and-a-half quarters, it worked like a charm. They were creating a lot of good looks, but they also were nailing tough jumpers when they needed to bail themselves out too.

The result was four Pacers scoring 20+ points on the night. Andrew Nembhard led the way with an incredible 32-point, nine assist outing, while T.J. McConnell (23 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST), Pascal Siakam (22 PTS, 6 AST), and Myles Turner (22 PTS, 10 REB) all chipped in as well. For long stretches of the game, it seemed like none of these guys were ever going to miss.

The Celtics didn’t help themselves out with a rather lackadaisical defensive effort for much of the game, but they locked in down the stretch, and the Pacers offense went cold. And in the process, Boston was able to generate just enough offense to get past Indiana in this one, setting the stage for a do-or-die Game 4 matchup on Monday night.

On the other end of the floor, it was Jayson Tatum leading the way for the C’s (36 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST, 12/23 FGM), as he had far and away his best game of the postseason to this point. Al Horford was phenomenal in this one as well (23 PTS, 5 REB, 8/14 FGM), as he knocked down seven threes to help Boston offset Indiana’s torrid shooting.

Boston probably would have rather not made this game as suspenseful as it was, but as long as you manage to win these games in the playoffs, it doesn’t really matter. Brown and the C’s are now just one game away from advancing to the NBA Finals, and even if the Pacers come in and shoot the lights out in Game 4, they will have to feel good about their chances to complete the sweep on Monday night.

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Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.