Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 during Wednesday's Game 5 second-round playoff clash. In doing so, they secured a 4-1 series victory, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. The relatively easy win earned Brown a sizeable contract bonus, sparking entertaining NBA fan reactions.
Brown had an off night in Game 5, tallying 11 points on 44.4% shooting. However, it proved inconsequential, as the No. 1-seeded Celtics cruised to a 15-point home win over an undermanned Cleveland team missing its top player, Donovan Mitchell. The five-time All-Star was sidelined for a second straight contest due to a left calf strain.
With their victory, Brown and Boston improved to 8-2 in the playoffs, experiencing little resistance thus far. This year's East finals berth marks their third consecutive and sixth in eight seasons.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the three-time All-Star will receive a whopping $369,000 bonus for the accomplishment.
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In the offseason, Jaylen Brown signed a historic five-year supermax contract extension worth up to $303.7 million, which kicks in next season. So, upon his latest bonus, several fans on X/Twitter remarked about the rich getting richer.
"He’s already the highest-paid player in the league. [The] Celtics [are] just spoiling these players," @Kwintarget said.
"Isn't he getting $300 million already??" @Sudharsan_ak said.
"Gotta love those incentives. That’s crazy money," @xDcentric said.
Some even went as far as to suggest that Brown is scamming Boston.
"He's robbing the Celtics," @LeCap623 said.
However, others defended Brown, noting that he deserves his bonus.
"Worth every penny," @CelticsPost said.
"Well deserved, Jaylen Brown," @NevaMiss24 said.
Jaylen Brown on Celtics clinching third consecutive conference finals appearance
After Boston clinched its third straight East finals berth, Jaylen Brown touched on the accomplishment's magnitude.
The 27-year-old expressed gratitude to be a part of a winning organization like the Celtics. However, he noted that it's too early to celebrate, as his squad still has its sights set on winning an NBA championship.
"It's a blessing, honestly, to be a part of winning," Brown said. "It's been a great journey so far, but we're not done yet, so we just gotta keep going."
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Through 10 postseason outings, Brown is averaging 23.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.7 steals per game on 55.4% shooting. He and the Celtics will await the winner of the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers' second-round playoff series.
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