Jaylen Brown Addresses Game 4 Altercation with Max Strus: 'I Embraced It'

With 8:45 left in the Celtics' Game 4 victory vs. the Cavaliers, moving them one win from a third consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, Jaylen Brown charged downhill, driving past Georges Niang, absorbing contact from Tristan Thompson, and finishing off the glass.

After the layup, he went careening into Max Strus, who hovered over the top of him. As Strus attempted to head down the court, Brown grabbed his foot, sending the six-foot-five wing to the hardwood.

Jaylen Brown and Max Strus get tangled up... ruled a common foul on JB ⏪ pic.twitter.com/kTRwTK7ak1
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 13, 2024

From that moment on, he became the villain, with the crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse booing him every time he touched the ball.

"I embraced it," expressed the two-time All-Star after helping lead his team to a second straight win in Cleveland.

"I drove to the basket, felt like there was some contact, finished the play, landing on the ground, and I feel like somebody kicking me in the back of the head, or I feel like I got the right to remove or at least try to protect that. I wasn't trying to do nothing there and trying to trip nobody up, but at the same time, you're not about to just kick me in the head. It is what it is. I think they made the right call, and we moved on."

For Brown, that meant proceeding with a 27-point, eight-rebound performance, including a crunch-time three to help seal the Celtics' Game 4 victory.