Jaylen Brown reclined and looked straight ahead, recalling the 2018 Eastern Conference finals, the last time the Celtics and Cavaliers squared off in a postseason series.

Brown and Jayson Tatum started their first postseason run together six years ago. The Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, ended it when they defeated the Celtics in seven games. Brown is committed to making sure the results of this year’s series are different.

“It was quite some time ago.” 2018? Sheesh, muttered Brown. “I believe I’ve made significant progress.

“It goes without saying that having LeBron during the playoffs was an amazing experience and adventure. We’re going to make sure that this series is a little different since it still hurts a little bit that we lost in the end in Game 7.

The Eastern Conference playoffs between the Cavaliers and the Celtics will resume this week, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night at TD Garden.

During the playoffs, Donovan Mitchell is leading the Cleveland team in scoring, averaging a team-high 28.7 points on 45.9 percent shooting.

According to Brown, “Donovan is an explosive, strong, three-level scorer.” “I believe that he has an advantage over many defenders because of his strength. He can change directions well. He is only an excellent basketball player.

“Ain’t no friends in the playoffs,” Brown remarked in response to a question regarding his friendship with Mitchell.

The Celtics must choose their poison when trying to limit Mitchell, who scored fifty points in Cleveland’s previous round Game 6 loss to Orlando, according to coach Joe Mazzulla. After that, Mitchell had a brilliant 39-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist performance, which helped the Cavs win Game 7 106-94 on Sunday.

“It usually comes down to the other things when you’re playing against guys like him and a team that has dynamic guards,” Mazzulla remarked. It all boils down to the influence that players like Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Caris LeVert have.

“When you see a player the caliber of [Darius] Garland or a Mitchell, transition defense, offensive rebounds, turnovers, truly all the stuff in the margins that we talked about in the prior series, go under shadow. The little things, the minutiae, and the margins still matter.

Cleveland’s length will also present a challenge for the Celtics on defense.

In the previous round, Mobley averaged three blocks per game. Before missing the remaining three games of the Magic series due to damaged ribs, center Jarrett Allen averaged 13.8 rebounds per game throughout the first four games of the series.

Derrick White remarked, “They have a lot of guys that can cause problems.” All we need to do is keep using the proper space, strategies, and rim-based judgment calls. They’re all excellent defenders, so it will be difficult.

White’s ascentFollowing his postseason career-high 38 points in Game 4 against Miami, White credited his teammates for giving him the tools he needed to improve as a player.

White is second on the Celtics in scoring through five postseason games, up from 13.4 points per game in the previous postseason.

White claimed that one of the main factors in Mazzulla’s growth has been her faith in him.

White remarked, “I think it’s just having a coach that believes in you.” “Well, every coach kind of says that, but he really goes above and beyond to show me.” He was probably saying something like, “You’re my point guard, I believe in you, I trust in you,” at the start of the season. Thus, even hearing such things is usually significant.

In 2022, White made his postseason debut for the Celtics coming off the bench. According to Brown, White has become more confident, which has strengthened his play.

“Over the years, D-White’s confidence has only increased and improved,” Brown remarked. He’s really coming into his own now, and I believe that when he was playing with aggression, making the proper moves, and using matchups, our team performed better. He must continue to perform effectively for us to win this series.

Update on PorzingisKristaps Porzinigs was seen throughout the practice on Monday. Mazzulla reported that he has noticed some progress in the injured center’s gait.

The 7-foot-2-inch big man is anticipated to miss at least the opening three games of this series after leaving Game 4 against Miami due to a calf issue.

Mazzulla remarked, “The thing about KP is that he puts in the time.” “When it comes to a guy like him, he always understands exactly what needs to be done. And he never fails to put in the effort, whether he’s recovering from an injury or playing.

“I believe in his work ethic and know he’s making every effort to recover as quickly as possible, even though I just noticed him walking a little bit better.”