Perhaps Jaylen Brown was better off with the added fuel from the NBA than if he had received Eastern Conference Player of the Month in December.
In his first game after expressing his frustration over getting snubbed, an individual who thrives when the chip on his shoulder grows, delivered a two-way masterpiece. That included putting 50 points on the board, matching his career-high.
Brown's uber-efficient three-level scoring display was captivating. The four-time All-Star shot 69.2 percent from the field. The defense routinely forced him to go left. He turned them into the butt of a joke that hasn't had the same merit it once held in years.