Stephen A. Smith Calls Celtics/Thunder 'Most Important Game' For Jaylen Brown
· Yahoo Sports
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The Boston Celtics have yet another marquee matchup against an NBA title contender when playing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. Stephen A. Smith thinks it's an especially big moment for Jaylen Brown.
Officials ejected Brown from Tuesday's 125-116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs after giving him two technical fouls in the second quarter. That cost the Celtics star a golden chance to make his MVP case on a primetime stage.
Brown will get another opportunity when Boston plays the reigning champions led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a growing favorite to win his second straight MVP award. Smith believes Brown needs a big showing to stay in the race.
ESPN's "First Take" personality continued to bash the referees for ejecting Brown before explaining that Tuesday's ejection ups the ante for the 29-year-old to make a statement on Thursday.
"He's got to show up tonight for the purposes specifically of the MVP award," Smith said. "Tonight is the most important game of Jaylen Brown's season."
Smith sees Alexander and Brown as the NBA's leading MVP candidates. Oddsmakers don't see it as a close race, as the Thunder star is a colossal -900 favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook, while Brown trails three other players at +15000.
The ESPN pundit praised Brown for keeping the Celtics in contention with Jayson Tatum sidelined. Smith also called Brown a "principled individual" on and off the court and believes Tuesday's ejection was indicative of a lack of respect afforded to the five-time All-Star.
"Jaylen Brown is a really, really good dude who has been underappreciated in terms of notoriety for years," Smith said. "He is a guy that is a conscientious observer. He is a highly, highly intellectual dude that's very philanthropic and charitable with his community."
Brown enters Thursday's game against OKC averaging 28.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Any chances of winning MVP could hinge on Boston slowing down Gilgeous-Alexander, who's scored 31.7 points per game on a 55.1 field-goal percentage.
"So tonight is very important," Smith declared. "Jaylen Brown's got to show out against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander."
The Celtics and Thunder tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston and Prime Video.
More NBA: How to Watch Celtics vs. Thunder Tonight: Channel, Live Stream & Start Time for NBA Game