Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are not falling for Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s attempt to get into their heads. Ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Kidd identified Jaylen Brown as Boston’s top player. That statement sounded harmless but it’s got extra meaning beyond the surface for many others.
“No reaction…” Jayson Tatum said. “This is a team sport, right. We understand that. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have JB on our team, and we can say that for a lot of guys, right. We have all played a part in getting to where we’re at, and we understand that people try to drive a wedge between us. I guess it’s a smart thing to do or try to do.
Jason Kidd tries to distract the Boston Celtics ahead of Game 2
There used to be a rumored issue between Brown and Tatum about who the true alpha was in Boston, but that doesn’t seem to be a discussion anymore, with all parties moving on from it. Kidd is seemingly just trying to use any kind of material to distract the Celtics from the main goal, which is to bring banner No. 18 to Beantown.
And if there’s one thing to know about Kidd, it’s that he will do anything he can to help his team secure a win — even if that means using some off-the-court tricks, which is what he appears to be doing here.
In Boston’s 107-89 win in Game 1 over the Mavericks at home, Brown paced the Celtics with 22 points, while Tatum had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
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