One thing Celtics forward Jaylen Brown remembers from his time in the NBA’s Florida bubble in 2020 during the pandemic is seeing Donovan Mitchell around randomly.
Mitchell, who was with the Utah Jazz at the time, often appeared in the bubble’s common areas at the same time as Brown. This led to some fun exchanges on social media between them and helped them develop a friendship that continues today.
But Brown isn’t thinking about that this week as the East’s top-seeded Celtics get ready to start their second-round series against Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
“In the playoffs, there are no friends,” Brown said. “You just have to focus on playing. That’s all I have to say about that.” Mitchell, who also considers Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum a friend, said he stopped talking to them once the bracket was set.
“It’s all about competition, and I expect nothing less than their best, and vice versa,” he said. “We have to go out there and handle our business in a tough environment. … It’s going to be exciting, and I’m looking forward to it.”
After beating the Miami Heat in five games in the first round, Boston will begin Game 1 of their series against Cleveland on Tuesday night as heavy favorites, according to BetMGM.
The Celtics will face the Cavaliers, who only have a day’s rest after winning Game 7 against Orlando, where they came back from an 18-point deficit to move forward.
In that game, Mitchell scored 39 points, bringing his scoring average to 28.7 points in the postseason. This includes a remarkable 50-point performance in Game 6 against the Magic. Mitchell will be the first top scorer the Celtics have encountered this postseason, after not facing Miami’s Jimmy Butler in the first round.
Cleveland showed resilience after a regular season where they had a strong 23-5 run before the All-Star break, but then ended the season 12-17. They faced numerous injuries, including Mitchell’s nagging left knee issue and starting center Jarrett Allen’s painful rib injury, which caused him to miss the last three games of the Magic series.
Before his injury, Allen had been one of Cleveland’s most reliable players since November. He missed the first five games of the season but then played in 77 consecutive games, averaging career-highs of 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Allen’s availability for Game 1 is uncertain, while reserve big man Dean Wade is ruled out with a sprained right knee. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes his team showed its true character during their Game 7 victory over Orlando.
