Give Jim Petersen this much: He had thoroughly studied Jaylen Brown’s shot chart ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ matchup against the Boston Celtics.
Only the chart proved to be relatively worthless when it came to preparing for the three-time All-Star’s performance on Sunday.
Despite Brown shooting a career-low 32.7 percent from 3-point range this season, the reigning NBA Finals MVP came out firing during the Celtics’ matinee matchup against Minnesota. Over the course of two minutes and 22 seconds in the first quarter, Brown sank five three-pointers, propelling Boston to an early 15-6 lead.
The Cal product’s hot start served as an audible source of dismay for Petersen inside the FanDuel Sports Network North broadcast booth.
“Jaylen Brown has not shot the ball great from outside the arc,” the analyst told play-by-play announcer Michael Grady after Brown sank his first three. “You look at his shot chart, Michael, it is not good.”
“Come on,” Petersen said after the second three.
“Career lows this season for Jaylen Brown,” Grady added.
“Literally, from that spot on the floor, he’s 4-for-23 this season. 17 percent,” Petersen replied, as Brown drilled another shot long-distance.
“Early heat check, my goodness!” Grady said.
So on an so forth the first quarter went, with a Brown three-pointer over reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert punctuating his hot start.
“Seven of 27 from that part of the floor coming into this game, 25.9 percent,” Petersen said. “Unbelievable.”
A compilation of the three-point barrage — along with the Timberwolves broadcast team’s commentary — proceeded to go viral, ultimately catching the 28-year-old’s attention. Reposting it to X, the Celtics star replied, “Hating ass broadcast lol.”
Hating ass broadcast lol https://t.co/MB6Zlynlw6
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) November 25, 2024
While it’s certainly understandable why Brown would accuse the Timberwolves broadcast of “hating,” the reality is that Petersen was merely relying on data. And in many ways, that made his call of Sunday’s first quarter funnier as his disbelief was palpable in audio form.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.