Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics speaks during a press conference after the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84 in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 29, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown will lick his wounds after a heartbreaking Game 7 rout at the hands of the Miami Heat in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals before pondering the next step of his career.
Brown has one year left on his contract and is eligible for a supermax contract extension with the Celtics this offseason.
“I expected to win today and move on and that was my focus was on and that was my focus has been on,” said Brown in the postgame press conference after a lopsided 103-84 loss on Tuesday (Manila time).
When asked about his plans in the offseason, the 26-year-old guard said he is not yet thinking about the future.
“We failed, I failed, and it’s hard to think about anything else right now to be honest. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he said.
“We failed. I failed and it’s hard to think about anything else right now.”
Jaylen Brown after losing Game 7
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/Tr9CffgFi8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2023
Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seed Heat denied the Celtics from becoming the first team to overcome a 0-3 series deficit and their supposed second straight NBA Finals appearance.
Brown committed a career-worst eight turnovers in Game 7 and shot 1-of-9 from the three-point line as he finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal.
The two-time NBA All-Star struggled from deep in the Eastern Conference Finals as he was limited to 16.3% three-point shooting in the series.
Brown, a second team All-NBA member this season, can agree to a supermax contract extension this offseason as he will become a free agent in 2024.
The Celtics fought back from a 0-3 deficit and forced a rubber match but they couldn’t stop the Heat from becoming the second eighth-seed in NBA history to reach the Finals after the 1999 New York Knicks.
The Heat battle the Denver Nuggets for the NBA championship starting on June 2 (Manila time).