Jaylen Brown's Pregame Message to Celtics Teammates Dissed City of Cleveland

May 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) drives the ball vs. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7). | David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics took a 2-1 conference semifinals series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night after their 106–93 win.

The momentum shifted for the Celtics from Game 2 to Game 3 as the Cavaliers won that matchup in Boston. The Celtics got some revenge by beating the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

Some of the motivation Celtics guard Jaylen Brown sparked in his teammates was actually a backhanded diss about Cleveland. Brown wanted to remind his teammates that Cleveland is not a destination to vacation in, that the team needs to instead be focused on winning the series.

"We're not here to play around," Brown said to his teammates. "We didn't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go."

Jaylen Brown's message to teammates: "We're not here to play around. We didn't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go" pic.twitter.com/vlDcnkxIn2

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 12, 2024

Brown heeded his own words, as he poured in 28 points, nine rebounds, and three assists to help lead Boston to victory. The Celtics will need to continue in this mindset heading into Game 4 if they want to take a 3–1 lead and sweep the two games in Cleveland. Game 4 tips off at 7 p.m. ET on Monday.