Celtics' Jaylen Brown Keys Game 2 Win vs. Pacers as Fans Praise SG amid All-NBA Snub

Jaylen Brown was one of the players who arguably was snubbed from an All-NBA selection on Wednesday. And it appears he took that personally.

Brown was electric on Thursday, putting up 40 points and four rebounds in the Boston Celtics' 126-110 win over the Indiana Pacers. The victory gave Boston a 2-0 advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Brown's scoring was important in Game 2, as All-NBA first-team selection Jayson Tatum started slowly before picking up the pace in the second half, finishing with 23 points, six boards and five assists.

All-NBA third-team pick, Tyrese Haliburton, had another fairly nondescript game for Indiana before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with left hamstring soreness, finishing with 10 points and eight assists. The Pacers were led by Pascal Siakam (28 points), who kept them in the contest until Boston pulled away for good in the fourth.

It was Brown who seemed to have an answer for just about every run the Pacers made, and NBA fans and pundits alike suspected that Brown had a bit of extra motivation fueling him:

It wasn't just fans and analysts who were a bit surprised Brown didn't crack the All-NBA teams.

"JB, that was a snub for sure," Celtics guard Payton Pritchard told reporters earlier on Thursday. "I don't understand how you can be the No. 1 team by a wide margin and only have one dude on that. JB's been terrific all year, two-way player, so he definitely deserves to be on there."

Head coach Joe Mazzulla expected Brown to take the situation in stride, however:

"He's a very mature guy... He has a great outlook on life," he said. "He knows what's important and what's not. He works really hard. He knows who he is as a person and as a player and that's the most important thing."

After Thursday, the Pacers know exactly who Brown is as a player too, and they'll be in serious trouble if this version of Brown persists throughout the Eastern Conference Finals.

The series now shifts back to Indiana for Saturday's Game 3 as the Pacers look to salvage their fading title hopes.