Jaylen Brown reveals what makes Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving so tough to guard
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Jaylen Brown claimed the Finals MVP award, largely due to his impressive defense on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. His all-around performance played a key role in the Boston Celtics’ five-game dominance over the Dallas Mavericks.
Brown appeared on the popular show Hot Ones with Sean Evans, where he offered an insightful comparison about guarding the Mavericks’ dynamic duo of Doncic and Irving. He likened it to listening to music.
Jaylen Brown likening defense to music
"There’s a rhythm and a cadence to how people play. Certain guys play to a certain beat, a certain cadence, a certain style. if you know their style, you can time what they’re going to do next because you know their rhythm and the BPM they play at,” said the Celtics star.
Drawing from firsthand experience, Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics past Doncic, Irving, and the Mavericks. While Doncic still posted impressive numbers—averaging 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on 47.2% shooting—his efforts fell short. The Mavericks managed to break 100 points in only one of the five Finals games.
“Luka (Doncic) has a unique rhythm. It's almost so slow that it's hard to time. Kyrie has a unique rhythm as well, very one-of-one. His moves and cadences are very hard to time. He’s got a lot of counters, he can pivot off both feet, he can shoot with both hands, and he can drive in both directions, which makes his rhythm a lot harder to track," Brown continued.
It’s a unique approach to describing defense, but it highlights why Dallas’ offense is so difficult to contain. With players as distinct as Doncic and Irving, defending requires not just skill but also a great deal of patience and anticipation to keep them in check without committing fouls.
“Some guys only go right, some guys only go left, and some guys have two moves that they go to. So, I look at basketball as poetry in motion, which is music. Everybody is playing their own song. Everybody samples from different artists. If you want to stop them you gotta study their rhythm, you gotta learn when their beat is about to drop."
Brown and the Celtics stifling Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving
Brown was crucial in restricting Kyrie Irving’s impact, limiting him to 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 41.4%. This marked a huge decline for Irving, who had been a potent scorer throughout both the regular season and Playoffs.
The Celtics overall effectively contained the Mavericks' stars, particularly during the three games in Boston. They held Irving to just over 14 points per game while making Doncic earn every point, limiting his ability to execute his unusual passes to open shooters despite him still averaging 30 points per game.
Boston is known for their high-powered offense that led the league in offensive rating and ranked second in team scoring, leaned on their stifling defense to hold the Mavericks to just 99.2 points per game, well below their regular season average of 117.9 PPG.
With Dallas’ dynamic duo unable to perform effectively together, Boston successfully neutralized the formidable Mavericks offense, winning the Larry O'Brien trophy. Jaylen Brown earned the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award, despite Jayson Tatum posting better statistics, as many believe Brown’s defensive contributions were the key difference.
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