The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat provided flashbacks of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals with a hard-fought, physical matchup on Friday night.
This time, it was the C's coming out on top. They outlasted Miami with a 119-111 win in their home opener, which was highlighted by brilliant performances from Derrick White (28 points) and Jaylen Brown (27 points).
Brown joined our Abby Chin for an exclusive 1-on-1 immediately after the victory.
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"We just had to match their physicality," he said of the Heat. "They came out, they played really hard from the jump. We kind of came out the gate a little bit lax and they punched us in the mouth.
"Two physical games back to back. One in New York, now here in Boston. I thought we responded well."
White played the hero with 14 of his 28 points coming in the fourth quarter. Brown sealed the Celtics' win with the dagger 3-pointer.
Brown, who didn't attempt a shot in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's win over the Knicks, shared his mindset heading the final frame on Friday.
"Tough it out. You know what I mean? Just be the harder-playing team and let the game decide for itself," Brown told Chin. "It wasn't the cleanest game, Miami likes to muck the game up, but if you play hard and you make the right plays, you'll come out on top."
Through two games, the new-look Celtics have lived up to the hype. Prized offseason additions Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have fit in seamlessly alongside Brown, Jayson Tatum, and White. And on Friday, free-agent signing Oshae Brissett provided a spark early.
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"Just dogs. We've just got a lot of dogs on our team," Brown said. "We came out with the right energy. Oshae came off the bench and just brought energy to us, so if we keep that, we'll be tough to beat."
The Celtics fell to the Heat in seven games during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, so Chin asked Brown whether Friday's win felt any sweeter coming against Miami.
"It's just a game," Brown answered. "We've got a long journey. Last year was last year. We've got to just focus on what's in front of us and I'm excited about this year."
The journey continues Monday night when the C's, now 2-0 on the season, visit the Washington Wizards.