-
Baxter Holmes
BOSTON — Though Celtics All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown declined to go into specifics about the bone bruise in his right knee, the 2024 Finals MVP said after practice Saturday that he felt good and wouldn’t be on a minutes restriction heading into Sunday’s playoff opener against the Orlando Magic.
Brown’s knee is perhaps the Celtics’ biggest question mark heading into the postseason opener against the seventh-seeded Magic on Sunday at TD Garden in Boston. Brown missed the final three games of the regular season and, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported, received pain injections in his knee to promote healing.
But Brown was a full participant at practice this week and was the last Celtics player to leave the court after the team’s Saturday session.
“He looks good,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He was able to do everything, no limitations. He’s been great, physically, mentally, really preparing himself, ready to go. So [I] love the week that he had.”
Asked about the injections, Brown said, “I’m not here to talk about my knee, guys. It is what it is. I’m focused on Orlando.”
Brown averaged 22.2 points per game this season for the Celtics, second on the team behind fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum‘s 26.8.
The 61-win Celtics, the second-seeded team in the East behind the Cleveland, are trying to be the first team to repeat as champions since the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors.
Even though they have a league-high 18 championships, the Celtics have not repeated since the 1960s, when they won eight straight with star center Bill Russell anchoring the middle.
Brown said he and his teammates understand the expectations.
“Of course we know what we’re trying to accomplish, but I think our mindset is just what’s in front of us, not looking down the line, not overlooking nobody,” Brown said. “Our goal is [Game 1]. That’s the focus. Nothing else. Not next week, not six weeks, not 10 years from now. Just Sunday.”
