Braun knows this series will be tough on both sides.
The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have been here before, and Saturday's Game 1 at Ball Arena felt every bit like a third playoff meeting between Northwest Division rivals who know each other inside and out.
Denver took the opener 116-105 behind Nikola Jokic's triple-double and 30 points from Jamal Murray, but it was Christian Braun's postgame words that captured what this series is going to look like moving forward.
"We're both physical teams. It'll be a tough first-round matchup, but we're ready for it. We have to keep bringing that same energy."
That was Braun after a game that featured 42 total fouls, multiple technicals and a flagrant on Jaden McDaniels.
The third-seeded Nuggets (54-28) and sixth-seeded Timberwolves (49-33) traded hard contact all afternoon, and Braun's words suggest he expects more of the same in Game 2 on Monday night.
Braun Did More Than Talk
Braun finished with 12 points and eight rebounds while taking on the toughest defensive assignment of the afternoon, guarding Anthony Edwards for most of the game.
He held Edwards to 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting, and Jokic described Braun's defense as "annoying."
Head coach David Adelman went further and called it game-winning, pointing out that Braun still crashed the glass and created transition chances on top of his defensive effort.
Murray and Jokic are going to headline this one, and they should.
Murray went 16-for-16 from the free throw line and scored 30, while Jokic added 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his 22nd career playoff triple-double.
But Denver did not pull away until the supporting cast got involved, particularly Braun, Cameron Johnson with 12 points and Aaron Gordon who had 17 points and eight rebounds after sitting the entire second quarter in foul trouble.
Role Players Will Decide This Series
Both rosters have enough star power to trade haymakers all series long, but the deeper question is which team's role players can stay productive when the pressure tightens.
Denver got contributions from Bruce Brown off the bench and Spencer Jones in his return from a hamstring injury, while Minnesota leaned on Donte DiVincenzo's shooting and Ayo Dosunmu's playmaking.
The Wolves cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter, so this was not a blowout even though the final score might suggest Denver cruised.
Edwards is dealing with a knee issue that kept him out of 11 of the final 14 regular-season games, and his efficiency will need to improve if Minnesota wants to steal one in Denver.
But the Timberwolves believe they have the depth to compete in a long series, and their physicality was never in question on Saturday.
If Game 1 was any sign of what is coming, neither team is backing down anytime soon.