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Getty Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
The morning of the Boston Celtics’ next matchup against the Miami Heat on Jan. 31, Jaylen Brown tweeted a rather interesting cryptic message before the game.
Nobody knew what exactly Brown was referring to when he tweeted this, but many believed that the energy he thought was about to change was referring to the Celtics themselves. Before that game, which they won 122-92, the Celtics were 26-25 on the season. The prevailing theory was that Brown had proclaimed that the Celtics would change his fortunes for the better.
After Brown tweeted this, Boston went on a nine-game winning streak, winning 25 of its last 31 games. Many believed it was Brown’s tweet that sparked Boston’s sudden change. The phrase has become so pervasive that Brown currently sells T-shirts with those exact words front and center on the merchandise in his own store.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Brown reflected on why she sent that tweet in the first place. Brown even used an astronomical term when explaining the tweet.
PlayJaylen Brown credits ‘retrograde energy shift’ for Celtics’ season turnaround | NBA TodayJalyen Brown joins Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss the Boston Celtics’ season turnaround ahead of their Game 3 matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee. 0:00 Crossing Grayson Allen 0:43 Jan 31 energy change tweet 1:33 What did the Celtics change manifest? 2:13 Jayson Tatum chemistry 2:59 Celtics trade reaction…2022-05-04T20:28:40Z
“Have you ever been in a moment where things don’t seem to be going your way?” Brown asked. “I felt that way for everyone. Things were about to change. There are certain times of the year. It was actually retrograde, meaning the planets are spinning in the opposite direction… I knew at that moment the energy was about to change so I tweeted it and we started a winning streak.”
Brown thinks being healthy triggered Boston’s turnaround
Whenever a team turns its fortunes around like the Celtics did this season, many try to figure out what factors led to how it all happened, like acquiring better players or having an easier schedule. Brown believes that just getting the guys back from injuries, including himself, helped the team figure out who they were as a team.
“I think we got healthy,” Brown said. “I think that was the key. We had some injuries. I missed about 15 games at the beginning of the year, and that affected us, but… with new teammates, a new front office (and) a new coaching staff, we just had to get going. Once we did it, we see the results, so I credit that.”
The Celtics were affected by both injuries and COVID-19 earlier in the year, but once they got over all of that, they began to play more like a playoff team. Acquiring Derrick White and re-acquiring Daniel Theis at the trade deadline helped with that, but having the entire team available down the stretch certainly helped them down the stretch.
Brown never lost faith in the team during tough times.
Fighting to stay above .500 and get out of the first round last season would be no fun for anyone. Even if it’s yesterday’s news, the Celtics’ early-season struggles left many wondering if they’d ever make it. Brown was not among the skeptics.
Brown’s prescient tweet meant that even in tough times, he still believed in what the Celtics were capable of. He said the same thing when asked how much tougher times were for Boston before his trade.
“I never lost faith, I will say that,” Brown said. “In the midst of… all the turmoil, all the criticism, you can go back and (print) the receipts, I always said things were going to change. Things are going to get better. The energy of what we felt for each other and for the group was always high. It was always consistent. It was always positive. So he knew it was only a matter of time. We weren’t going crazy. We were losing games by slim margins, so we just had to figure out how to win games and how to be healthy…Once we did that, we knew we were going to run a little bit.”
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