Report: Jaylen Brown made lifestyle changes after Heat eliminated Celtics last year

Jaylen Brown seems well on his way to being named MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals, and the Boston Celtics star is acknowledging the effect the Miami Heat are having on his excellent performance in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

The Heat prevented the Celtics from reaching the NBA Finals last year, a setback that Brown said “drove me crazy.”

“It drove me all summer,” Brown said. “It drove me crazy.”

The 27-year-old used that huge disappointment as motivation throughout the offseason.

“Brown changed his workout regimen,” wrote Jay King of The Athletic. “He altered his daily approach. He obsessed over preparing himself for the rigors of playoff basketball.”

That preparation is paying off in a big way as the Celtics are one win away from the 2024 NBA championship. Boston can complete a sweep of the Dallas Mavericks with a Game 4 victory on Friday night.

Media personality Dan Le Batard said that the Celtics have become a team worthy of a championship because competing with Jimmy Butler and the Heat made them great.

Over the first three games of the 2024 NBA Finals, Brown is leading the Celtics in scoring at 24.3 points per game. He also is averaging 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per contest.

Following Boston’s Game 1 victory, when Brown led the way for Boston with 22 points, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd called him the best player on the Celtics.

Since Brown made his NBA debut in the 2016-17 season, Boston has advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals six times but has not won the NBA title. Last season, Boston lost the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals to Miami in seven games after losing the first three games of the series, falling just short of becoming the first NBA team to ever win a best-of-seven playoff series after trailing it 0-3, something the Mavericks will now attempt to do.

This season, the Celtics opened the 2024 NBA Playoffs by exacting revenge against the Heat with a five-game series victory. It propelled Boston to a five-game victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round and a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals.

A victory at Dallas on Friday would allow Boston to complete the 2024 playoffs with an incredible 16-2 record. Being named 2024 NBA Finals MVP for a dominant team like that certainly would be the crowning achievement of Brown’s career to date.