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Jaylen Brown · No worse for wear after surviving each of the Boston Celtics’ haymakers, the Indiana Pacers entered Game One’s final 30 seconds with a 3-point advantage, possession, and reason to believe they’d cleaned up enough mistakes to steal a gutsy, series-opening victory. Unwilling to concede the series’ grip on his home floor, Jaylen Brown used his clutch gene and three-level scoring ability to remind them of the one spot they missed. Prescient in predicting that he’d be open even before the play, Brown hustles to the far left corner, providing his teammate with an outlet. Forced to reconsider his options after Pascal Siakam remains disciplined on his shot fake, the three-time All-Star merely trusts his vertical, balancing himself enough to deliver a cold-blooded triple to tie the game and ultimately, ensure overtime. The soon-to-be-named Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player offered a quick, celebratory flex to the crowd before getting right back to business in Boston’s character-building win on May 21, 2024. With additional offensive fireworks soon to arrive, Brown set the groundwork brilliantly with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block, and one perfectly-timed 3-pointer. · State of Mint