Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown sounds off on Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young

And just like that the Atlanta Hawks not only staved off elimination, they announced that their first-round playoff series versus the Boston Celtics is far from over.

“We controlled the game for the most part,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown told reporters via the NBC Sports Boston YouTube channel on April 25, “and then Trae Young just put on a hell of a performance in the fourth quarter made, some big threes the last one, of course, was the stinger. But the only thing you can say is get ready for the next one.”

The Hawks rallied back from a 12-point deficit to secure a 119-117 victory in a must-win Game 5 to take the series back to Atlanta at 3-2. And all it took was a Herculean effort from Young to get it done.

“They didn’t need the three,” Brown said. “They only needed one. Trae Young is pretty shifty getting to his right hand so that’s what I was looking to take away, and he stepped back an pulled one from the logo. It’s a tough basket, tough shot in the playoffs. Maybe I could have forced him towards the basket a little bit more, if I could have picked him up a little bit better. But maybe we should have been in that position in the first place. Tough shot.”

Young finished the game with 38 points, 13 assists, four rebounds, and two steals. He shot just 42.4% from the floor but hit three of his five made threes (on 13 total attempts) in the fourth quarter en route to 16 of his points when the Hawks needed it most.

“I think sometimes the game is about making plays,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said during his postgame media availability on the Hawks’ YouTube channel. “Got out hands on a couple balls, came up with a couple rebounds that were 50-50 balls. Trae tipped one on a rebound that he couldn’t get. I thought offensively we played at a good tempo, that started with Trae.”

Snyder commended Young for feeling out what the game needed and delivering noting that their preparation leading up to this game was the same even in the face of elimination.

Trae Young predicted Atlanta Hawks win to Dejounte Murray

“We were down one [points], so I was really trying to get a layup,” Young admitted, and to Brown’s point. “I was really trying to get into the paint and we had enough time that I could get the ball and dribble down try to create something. And if someone helped I would still had enough time to get someone else the ball too so.

Young said he noticed Brown was backing up to take away the drive and that Marcus Smart was also out of position to help.

“I just had to trust in what I’ve done my whole life and just shoot with confidence,” he said.

But the best moment of the night – after securing the win – was arguably seeing Young immediately hop on a video call with Dejounte Murray who was in Boston but missed the game serving a one-game suspension for making contact with an official in Game 4.

“Told [Murray] be ready,” Young said. “I told him before the game we was gonna take care of business so he could play in Atlanta. So can’t wait to see everybody in Atlanta.”

Game 6 is set for Thursday at 7:30 E.T.