Jaylen Brown Being Snubbed From Making Any All NBA Team Has All The Makings Of Being A Blessing In Disguise

For the most part, I'd say the All NBA results that came out last night weren't all that terrible. This is an exercise that will always come with a level of debate, and since supermax contracts are tied to this voting, if there are borderline guys that could make an extra $40M if they were to get the nod compared to a guy who may already have his supermax, you can understand why the media might vote a certain way.

I was fully prepared to go scorched earth had Jalen Brunson snagged that 5th spot over Jayson Tatum, but it was a relief to see that one hot end of the month didn't override what Tatum had done all year for the best team in the NBA.

Maybe you don't think Kawhi should have earned 2nd Team honors, but he did hit the 65 game mark (68 games played) and did have the production to back it up, even if there may have been some legacy voting at play there. To me, the real debates came with the 3rd team, with one noticeable omission.

This guy

In terms of the voting, things were close

The 3rd team is tricky because you have the Haliburton choice which wasn't all that crazy for the first half of the year, but his injury definitely impacted how he finished. Perhaps voters didn't want to hold that against him, and then there's the financial boost he got by making All NBA, which earned him that additional $40M. Compare that to Jaylen who just signed his supermax this past summer, I can see it.

I think the more interesting debate is the Devin Booker selection. Sure he may be a better point per game scorer (who took more FGA per game), but he did not have a better overall season than Jaylen. Kind of crazy that a middling team that underachieved all year gets two All NBA nods over the team that was far and away the best in the league and a guy who legitimately had a career year on both ends of the floor, but it is what it is.

In years past, this would trigger the shit out of me. But now? 

This entire season, it has felt like Jaylen Brown is on a mission. After all the slander he got once he signed his supermax deal, he backed it up with the best season of his life which helped the Celtics put up one of the best regular seasons many of us have ever witnessed (not hyperbole). You could tell he used that shit as fuel.

Earlier this week when Jaylen was somewhat snubbed for the All Defensive team, he immediately responded with one of the best playoff games of his life on both ends of the floor

Now, as the Celtics head into a very important Game 2 against the Pacers, we get to see what the All NBA snub version of Jaylen Brown looks like, and something tells me it's going to be beautiful to watch.

Once you get to this time of year, I am all for whatever extra or added motivation we can get as this team continues on their postseason journey. Take that disrespect and let it fuel you. We've seen how the team has reacted to every fanbase chanting "We Want Boston!!". All that Tatum slander from the previous rounds? Look at how he's responded

and now it's Jaylen's turn. As we know, the only way all the bullshit stops and these two are finally given their proper respect is by winning the NBA title. That might not be true for other stars around the league, but it is true for the Jays. I say welcome that pressure and allow it to motivate you to reach heights we've never seen before. 

So what does this Jaylen response look like? To me, it doesn't mean taking every shot, forcing things offensively to prove a point, and getting away from what makes this team successful. The best way I can describe it is playing with force, but under control. Just like we've been seeing from Jaylen all playoffs so far. If there are those out there who are going to ignore what you do on both ends of the floor during the regular season, fine. But you know what you can't ignore? Being dominant in the postseason on the highest stage. You know what the best response to all this bullshit is?

Winning.

That's it. That's what matters. 

So while the Jays and the Celts were first establishing themselves, an All NBA snub like this would have had me very mad online. But now, given where they are and what's at stake, I couldn't be happier it happened. Sure it would have been great to see Jaylen be rewarded for the season he had, but we've grown past All NBAs I think. The Celts have entered the "title or bust" portion of this era, and any sort of slight that can have the 2nd best player on the team even more pissed off and even more locked in is a positive in my mind and as long as Jaylen capitalizes on it, we may very well look back at this moment as a gift.

It starts tonight with Game 2. Win that, go up 2-0 and put all the pressure on the Pacers. Simple as that.