New playoff round, same old Celtics delivering yet another postseason beatdown

Boston scored 40 points in the first quarter, and continued to pour on the points in a 120-95 victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

Jaylen Brown has plenty to smile about after scoring a team-high 32 points in leading Boston to a dominant Game 1 win over Cleveland in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown has shown himself to be a leader among men, a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, using his enormous platform to bring awareness and change to various societal issues.

But don’t get it twisted.

On the basketball court, he’s a basketball menace to foes with a circle of trust that’s only four deep at a time - known to you and me as his teammates.

They have come to embrace all the different levels and layers to Brown’s persona and play that can be super-intense and impactful this time of year.

And if the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t know that before, they do now.