BOSTON — Memorable moments in sports don’t necessarily arrive with fair warning. They don’t always come during crunch time with a game in the balance. Sometimes they show up on a Sunday afternoon in November, early enough in the first quarter that many fans in certain arenas would not have reached their seats in time.
Advertisement In Boston, where the crowds are typically punctual, the TD Garden seats were full for Jaylen Brown ’s unexpected magic show. By the time he knocked down his fifth 3-pointer with 8:26 left in the first quarter of the Celtics’ 107-105 win against the Timberwolves , the fans understood they were witnessing a rare feat. Even before Brown released that shot, fans across the arena could be seen standing up in anticipation of the heat check.
“I had just hit four in a row,” Brown said. “And then, yeah, that one was going up.” Of course, it was.
Brown intended to hunt a shot there regardless of the defense on him. Rudy Gobert must have realized it, too. The whole building sensed that Brown, as hot as he was, would not pass up the chance to splash home another triple.
He crossed half court and beelined diagonally to the right wing, likely so that Gobert, who matched up on him in transition, would not be able to pass him off to another defender. Brown, caught up in the moment, reached deep into his bag for a big-time move. He dribbled between his legs five times in rapid succession, then did it one more time after putting his other leg forwa.