Jaylen Brown Says He Isn't Afraid of LeBron James, Calls Him a Regular Guy

Prior to Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday, Boston Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown told reporters that he isn't afraid of Cavs superstar LeBron James. 

The Celtics on CSN tweeted a video of Brown's comments:

"LeBron's a good player, but I look at him as just a regular guy to me," Brown said. "I've got to come out and compete just like he has to come out and compete. I've got to tie my shoes just like he ties his shoes. There's bigger threats in my neighborhood than LeBron James, so I have no fear whatsoever of LeBron."

James and the Cavs are 9-0 in the 2017 playoffs after beating the C's 117-104 in Game 1.

LeBron dropped 38 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists in that contest, as the Celtics seemingly had no answer for him on the defensive end.

Brown had a strong Game 1 in his own right with 10 points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes, but Boston never posed a true threat.

It's fair to question the logic behind calling out arguably the best player in basketball, but Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue didn't have a problem with it, per NESN's Nicholas Goss: "Playing against the best player in the world, he's not scared. And you can respect that."

The 20-year-old Brown is an impressive talent who was selected No. 3 overall in the 2016 NBA draft by the Celtics, but he has yet to establish himself as a key contributor.

Conversely, James is averaging a ridiculous 34.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.

While Brown isn't intimidated, the Celtics are five-point underdogs in Game 2 despite playing at home, according to OddsShark.