Jaylen Brown: Celtics 'Feel Confident' About Game Plan Despite Deficit to Heat

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said Thursday the team remains "confident" despite falling behind the Miami Heat 2-0 in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals.

"We feel confident about our abilities; we feel confident about our game plan," Brown told reporters after a 106-101 loss in Game 2. "We just haven't executed it to the extent that we know we can. Two games, we came up short toward the end of the game, and we're looking forward to Game 3."

His comments came amid rumors of internal conflict after ESPN's Malika Andrews reported C's guard Marcus Smart stormed out of the locker room saying, "Y'all on some bulls--t," while other players in the locker room were also yelling after the team blew a 15-point lead in Game 2.

Boston, which held a 13-point edge at halftime, was outscored 37-17 in the third quarter. It regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter, holding a five-point advantage with 4:25 remaining, but a late 9-0 run by the Heat swung the game back in their favor for good.

Brown explained those type of lapses by the Celtics are the reason the Heat are two games from the NBA Finals:

"We're in the conference finals. That's all we need to hear to be locked in. That's all it takes. Both games we had moments where we had lapses, and that team over there is together for 48 minutes. And we've got to be together for 48 minutes and we gotta be together for 48 minutes to match that. I think we have yet to do that. I think we're capable. I think we need every piece, everybody to be all in, and to continue to bring that energy is what we're going to need."

Miami, which entered the playoffs as the East's No. 5 seed, has only lost a single game in the postseason.

The biggest separator in Game 2 was protecting the basketball. The Heat finished with 27 assists and just nine turnovers, while the third-seeded Celtics had more turnovers (20) than assists (19).

Neither game was a blowout, though. The opener went to overtime and Thursday's clash wasn't decided until the final minutes despite Boston's high number of unforced errors. So the door remains open for a comeback if the C's can clean up their play.

"This series is far from over," Brown told reporters.

Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.