The Boston Celtics lost to the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Wednesday night to break a nine-game winning streak. Reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown returned after missing the team's previous game with a knee injury, scoring 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting.

However, Brown has been battling what the Celtics have described as a "right knee posterior impingement" for a while. He's sat out five of the last 11 contests for Boston and has occasionally looked hobbled when out on the floor.

The All-Star was asked about the lingering injury after Wednesday's loss and acknowledged he had to "come to grips" with the fact that his recovery is a work in progress and outlined his plan to manage the injury as the playoffs approach.

"I’ve had to come to grips that every night, I’m not gonna feel like my normal self," Brown said to reporters, "but that doesn’t mean I still can’t make plays and things like that. So it’s just something that we are working through. Today was a good step forward.

"I’ve got some stuff lined up with the medical staff in order to feel better come playoffs. But for now, you know, just mentally working through not feeling great, but still able to find ways to be effective."

NBA players inflict a lot of wear and tear on their bodies and Brown has played a lot of basketball over the last few seasons. The Celtics star has played in at least 65 games in every season since 2021-22 and, on top of that, has battled through the playoff gauntlet to reach the NBA Finals twice in that span. All in, Brown has played more basketball than nearly any other player in the league the last three years.

The bumps and bruises accumulate. Brown clearly has a plan to deal with this one—even if Celtics fans may be nervous hearing he won't be himself every night.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Celtics' Jaylen Brown Details Knee Injury Management As Playoffs Approach.

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