How telling was last night's game about the Celtics and Brown?

What a Celtics game last night.

I watched all of it last night, a rare accomplishment with all the high school sporting events just begging my attendance. But with some time off from reporting, there was no better way to drown my sorrows with some more sports. For real though.

 I went into the game believing the Celtics would lose, it would be by how much, in which I decided the Celtics would lose by eight points. Just an arbitrary number I picked because I thought they would lose by less than 10 points but more than two.

At points, it seemed like the Celtics would lose by 20, 10 at other points. Frankly, the Warriors controlled the entirety of that game up until the Celtics’ four minute run where they went on a 19-0 run to pull ahead 68-66. The win is basically owed to Jaylen Brown and his control of the game during that span, netting 10 points with a total confidence look to him. In the following clip, notice Brown’s poise.

Jaylen Brown is getting it done for the C's! 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/tLadQgBPVQ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 17, 2017

The first basket comes from a legitimate basketball move. He catches Shaun Livingston leaning in, ready to defend the shot. Brown fakes it, and then crosses over, completely distancing himself from Livingston. Plays like that solidify the argument that Brown can compete against the best in the NBA. He’s no overhyped prospect, raw talent. He has legitimate ball handling skills, awareness and a good sense of the game. Remember Brown against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals? The sky is the limit for the kid.

On a similar note, Kyrie Irving did not have a good first three quarters, I think largely due to the kind of coverage that was on him. But it’s hard to say that Irving cannot lead a team after watching that one. Irving forced himself to the free throw line in the fourth quarter, netting seven of eight free throws in the final five minutes. Irving knew what it took to win that game during the fourth quarter and executed it.

The last thing about the game too, I see both sides of it. I understand how someone can believe that it means nothing. Regular season games are not the postseason and with a healthy team turning it up during the playoffs, I understand that the Warriors would most likely beat the Celtics. But I find myself agreeing with the other side. The flip to this argument is that this indeed shows the potency of the Celtics. They entered the game with a 13 game win streak and the best record in the NBA. It was the perfect test. After losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night handedly, if the Celtics lost to the Warriors in similar fashion, the game would become telling just how far away the Celtics are from the top tier teams. So with the win, I feel as if this Celtics team can in fact give the Warriors a run. Last year, the championship was no match between the Cavaliers and the Warriors. It took the Cavs a historic performance just to beat the Warriors once. Can the Celtics win in a seven game series? I wouldn’t bet a whole lot of money. But can the Celtics make a series out of it? I absolutely believe so after last night’s performance.