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BOSTON – Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s first trip to the NBA Finals ended in heartbreak – a heartbreak that has been fueling them and serving as their motivation for the past two years.

Now that their opportunity for redemption has arrived, they’re ready to seize the moment.

On the eve of Game 1, Brown and Tatum spoke on their journey back to the NBA’s biggest stage, reflecting on how their first Finals experience against the Golden State Warriors in 2022 helped to shape their mindset going into this series against the Dallas Mavericks.

“I think we understood what it took to get there,” Tatum said Wednesday afternoon, looking back on Boston’s 2022 run. “And [Golden State] understood what it took to get over the hump … It was a lesson to be learned. I told myself that if I ever got the opportunity again to make it to the Finals, never take it for granted. Obviously, we’re here now and I’m thankful to be here. I’m excited to get ready to play and have fun tomorrow.”

Brown says he’s rewatched that Finals series four or five times. As painful as it is to relive, it’s a small price to pay if it can help provide intel on getting over the hump this time.

“I think you can always learn from anything really,” Brown said. “But just being able to watch those moments and learn from them, how to manage your emotions, like, what you would have done differently, potentially. I don’t think that’s bad to look at and acknowledge and be aware of.”

Brown and Tatum also both acknowledged how much of an impact this series can have on their own personal legacies as well as that of the team.

“If you want to be one of the greats to put on this uniform, every great before you won a championship,” Tatum said. “That’s what we try to play for every single season. The expectations are obviously different here. It takes special players to be here and to be a part of an environment like that.”