USATSI_18355653 — Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Reflect on Personal and Team Growth Through Celtics' Playoff Run

This year, the Celtics, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, broke through the Eastern Conference Finals barrier that stood in its way their previous four tries dating back to 2012.

Author:
Bobby Krivitsky
Jun 15, 2022 6:50 PM EDT

The Celtics traveled the most challenging road any playoff team traversed this year and made it to the NBA Finals. Now, they'll either protect their home court, like the Warriors did in Game 5, and force a Game 7 in San Francisco on Sunday or TD Garden will host a championship celebration for someone else Thursday.

Wednesday, reflecting on how he's grown throughout Boston's playoff journey, Jayson Tatum conveyed: "I feel like I've grown a lot. Just as an all-around player. I think my playmaking has grown and been better than in recent years. Defensively, I feel like this is probably the best season I've had. I go from not making All-NBA to being First Team, so there was some growth there."

USATSI_18533004 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Jaylen Brown echoed a similar sentiment.

"(I) learned a lot. (I) learned how to read the game in certain situations; play with a high level of intensity; how to mentally be more prepared than your opponent. You learn a lot of things. Basketball is something that you can't ever, I mean, you can master, but I feel like there's something that you can always get better at in some components. I'm always looking forward to learning and growing, and learning in every experience. And this playoff run has been great for my personal growth and for our team.

"So, no matter what, I'm a better basketball player, and (I) still have a long way to go, but I'm a better basketball player than I was at the start of the playoffs. I'm always looking forward to getting better, and in these moments, you want to show your growth, so I'm looking forward to Game 6 on our home floor, in front of our home fans; it should be a lot of fun, and that's something that we've got to remind ourselves sometimes. Cause it's so much pressure, and it's a lot of joy in this game as well; so, I'm looking forward to having fun."

USATSI_18499942 — Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Discussing the Celtics making a playoff run they hope ends with banner 18 as challenging as possible, including crunch-time losses at home to the Bucks, Heat, and Warriors, Brown pointed to how this team's grown throughout this championship drive.

"It wasn't intentional. We have so much to learn. And we've learned so much throughout this process. Everday's been an opportunity for growth. From not just the players but our coaching staff as well, which is a first-year coaching staff; our front office, which is new as well. All the moving pieces are new in a sense. So, we're all learning as we're maneuvering on the journey. And sometimes, it's been those growth pains when you're trying to learn on the fly.

"We're looking forward to each and every experience. We haven't backed down from a challenge all season, so we look at it as no different now. It's unfortunate that sometimes those learning curves turn into losses, but we wear every experience as a badge of honor, and we take everything that we learn into the next game, and we put ourselves in a position to be in this series with a team that has won and done it before, so we're looking forward to Game 6. We're looking forward to coming out and getting a win and forcing a Game 7."