Why This Jaylen Brown Anniversary Should Recharge Celtics

The story of Jaylen Brown’s famous 2022 is well-documented with how the Boston Celtics responded.

The Celtics were 27-24 on Jan. 31, 2022, before a matchup with the Miami Heat. Boston struggled with major inconsistencies under head coach Ime Udoka. The Celtics went out that night and earned a 122-92 win over the Miami Heat, a team they see again down the road.

Brown tweeted a simple message that day: “The energy is about to shift.”

Since Brown’s tweet, the Celtics have gone to three straight Eastern Conference finals, made two NBA Finals trips, and captured their NBA-best 18th championship last season. They are 180-64 overall and 41-22 in postseason play.

It’s safe to say Boston got the job done.

This season as the Celtics chase a repeat championship effort, the road’s been anything but smooth. The last two months featured repeatable mistakes, inconsistent stretches and anything but the outright dominance Boston showed wire-to-wire last season.

That was the case, even in a winning effort, Friday night as the Celtics struggled to close out the 12-win New Orleans Pelicans. Brown and Jayson Tatum drilled clutch shots to escape to victory. The former is significant for leading the team with 28 points on the three-year anniversary of maybe the most important social media post in Celtics history.

Brown recognized the anniversary during his postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin.

“Happy Energy Is About To Shift Day,” Brown said, as transcribed by Taylor Snow. “School’s canceled… even though it’s Saturday (tomorrow).”

So, can this spark the Celtics again to get a championship reality back around the team?

Boston went 8-6 in December and 10-6 in January. Winning records, sure, but not to the standard this talented roster is capable of. The Celtics need a jolt and need their stars to play cohesively. Starting with a surge up to the All-Star break is a great step.