Celtics Star duo are unaffected by Jason Kidd’s “best player’ remarks

Asked about a game plan to defend Jaylen Brown ahead of Game 2, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said, ‘Well, Jaylen’s their best player …’

Jimmy Golen | The Associated PressJune 9, 2024 at 8:25 AM 09/06/2024

Boston (AP) -“ Jason Kidd couldn’t figure out how to stop the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

He’s hoping that they’ll be able to find their own ways.

The Mavericks coach appeared to cause discord within the Boston locker room on Saturday as the coach singled out Jaylen Brown to be the Celtics”best player”clearly designed to upset Jayson Tatum, a real NBA first-team player who finished sixth in the poll to be the MVP of the NBA.

In his media appearance regarding a game plan for defending Brown, Kidd said, “Well Jaylen is their best player,” …” which caused reporters to get excited and think what he actually said that? (It was the last question he was asked at his news conference, and there was no subsequent question.)

Tatum has said that it won’t work.

“We know that people will try to create a divide between us. I suppose it’s an intelligent way to go about it — or at least try do” Tatum said. “We’ve seen ourselves in this situation for quite a while of people who want to divide us, and declare we ought to be sold, or that one is superior to the other. It’s not our first rodeo experience.”

In that regard, Brown agreed completely.

“We’ve been intensely focussed on our responsibilities and jobs are. We’ve all had to give up,” he said. “Right now in this moment there’s no limit to what you need to do to be victorious. And we shouldn’t let other interpretations from outside try to get between us.”

After finding out that Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd considers him the Celtics the best player Jaylen Brown says it’s an all-team game.’

Third-ranked in consecutive seasons, Brown and Tatum have become one of the NBA’s top duos. They have combined to take the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals five times in their seven seasons. However, despite their success that they have had — 64 wins this season which is the league’s top. #1 overall seed, as well as another trip into the NBA Finals — they were forced to fight the notion that there was not enough space in the locker room for them both.

While Tatum’s career statistics are better than Brown’s, Brown is the highest-paid player in the leaguean unlucky combination of the timing of his age and allowed Brown the chance to win an extension of his contract to supermax that could earn Brown around $300 million across the course of five years. Brown also outclassed Tatum during the 2022 NBA Finals, was the winner of the conference finals of this year, and beat Tatum 22,16 in their Game 1 win against Dallas on Thursday night.

This could be the reason the reason Kidd told reporters on Saturdaytwicethe claim that Brown was Boston’s primary threat.

“Jaylen’s the best player they have,” the Mavericks coach stated. “He was a complete player in the game, and that’s what a top player does. Simply knowing how to be a player on two sidesboth offensive and defensive at a high speedHe’s been doing that throughout the playoffs.”

But nobody else seems to believe it.

Tatum scored 27 point, 8 rebound and five assists during the season. Brown averaged 23 points, 5.5 and 3.6. 5.5 as well as 3.6. Even with Brown beating him in Game 1 Tatum’s numbers are more impressive in the playoffs thus far. (And aside from that, the real winner of the opening game in the opener was Boston huge guy Kristaps Porzingis.)

Celtics manager Joe Mazzulla said he’s not concerned about rivalries between the Celtics hindering his team so long that his teammates “focus on the facts.”

“What happens in our locker rooms the way we communicate with one another and how we establish connections with one another and the way we treat one another both on and off the field is the most important aspect,” he said.

The Mavericks have their own Big Two, with five-time All-NBA first-team guard Luka Doncic joining forces together with Kyrie Irving to create an All-Star backcourt. Irving is the one who worked with LeBron James in winning this year’s NBA Championship in Cleveland despite having a difficult time to get along, said that the latter does not focus on the conversations that pit him against his teammates.

“I’m only here for basketball,”” Irving said. “You’ve to be selfless with your attitude. Naturally, you’re not going to be perfect every time However, as a coworker you’re just trying to move those other things off the table which don’t really matter, or make you better as a unit. Therefore, we let the rest of us to debate who’s team they belong to and who is the one with the greatest responsibility. It’s our job to prepare.”