Boston Celtics ahead Jayson Tatum (0) congratulates guard Jaylen Brown (7) after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Recreation 4 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff collection, Monday, Might 13, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photograph/David Dermer)
BOSTON — For nearly everything of their time collectively in Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been linked.
They have been drafted by the Celtics third total in back-to-back years.
They possess related ability units — two explosive and expert wing gamers with a capability to attain from almost each spot on the courtroom.
And so they each have been central to the success of a Celtics group that has reached the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. It helped Brown earn the NBA’s first $300 million contract final summer time. And, Tatum is predicted to get one this offseason.
The group has branded the All-Stars as “The Jays” in a advertising marketing campaign proven throughout video games that pitted them in opposition to each other in mini-competitions.
READ: Celtics comply with ‘craziness’ of Mazzulla’s teaching type to NBA Finals
In simply 7 years of being teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have…
☘️ 5 Convention Finals appearances
☘️ 2 NBA Finals appearances
☘️ 8 mixed All-Star alternatives
☘️ 5 mixed All-NBA alternativesTheir story continues in Recreation 1 of the #NBAFinals introduced by @YoutubeTV… pic.twitter.com/tUl6mGfXxM
— NBA (@NBA) June 4, 2024
It has created pure comparisons between them alongside the way in which, fostering an environment wherein followers and sports activities pundits alike have tried to parse out which one in all them is healthier, whose spot is most untouchable on the roster and which ones is extra pivotal to the Celtics’ success as they put together to steer the group to the franchise’s 18th NBA title.
It reached a brand new degree final week throughout a section on ESPN’s “Get Up” wherein panelists debated whether or not the 26-year-old Tatum expressed pleasure or disappointment whereas watching the 27-year-old Brown garner Japanese Convention finals MVP honors.
“I believe it’s unfair to each of them,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla stated of what he seen as an try and manufacture friction between the 2 stars.
However at the same time as Tatum and Brown have distinguished themselves as crucial gamers on Boston’s roster and the keys to the Celtics’ destiny of their NBA Finals matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, Mazzulla has hope that folks will begin viewing them otherwise.
“They’re, like, two utterly totally different folks. They’re two utterly totally different gamers,” Mazzulla stated. “They’re nice teammates, they love one another and so they go about successful and so they go about their course of another way. Why they should all the time be lumped collectively I believe is unfair.”
READ: Celtics favored however cash is rolling in on Mavericks in NBA Finals
Tatum and Brown, together with Al Horford, are the one returning starters from the 2021-22 group that misplaced to the Golden State Warriors in six video games within the Finals after holding a 2-1 collection lead.
Whereas Horford has taken on largely a reserve position this season, backing up 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis, Tatum and Brown have taken their play up a notch.
Tatum’s scoring numbers have remained regular from the common season (26.9 per recreation) into the playoffs (26.0), whereas his rebounding has elevated from 8.1 to 10.4 per recreation within the postseason. Brown, too, has seen jumps in these classes, going from 23.0 factors and 5.5 rebounds per recreation to 25.0 factors and 6.1 rebounds within the playoffs.
Tatum believes they’ve each used classes from the 2022 NBA Finals’ loss, in addition to final 12 months’s convention finals loss to Miami, to develop into gamers extra outfitted to perform their championship purpose this time round.
“Clearly, we’ve been there earlier than, we got here up quick,” Tatum stated. “You don’t all the time get a second likelihood, so actually simply taking a look at it as a second likelihood and making an attempt to simplify issues as a lot as we are able to.”
And being one another’s greatest cheerleaders, too.
After Brown made a game-tying 3-pointer late in Recreation 1 of the convention finals matchup with Indiana to ship the sport to time beyond regulation in an eventual Celtics’ victory, the best reward got here from Tatum.
“Huge time gamers make large time performs,” Tatum stated of Brown.
READ: Celtics can now start occupied with NBA championship
For Brown, this season has been about specializing in the expectations he has for himself and never worrying about others’ notion of him.
Initially, when he was requested about not being included on both the All-NBA or All-Defensive groups, he shrugged it off, saying his consideration was centered on getting again to the NBA Finals.
After he was named convention finals MVP, he acknowledged it did supply not less than some motivation, significantly on the defensive facet of the ball which he stated he put most of his work into this previous offseason.
“As time has passed by and I obtained so far, I ended caring,” Brown stated. “I don’t care who sees what, so long as my metropolis is aware of my worth, my group is aware of my worth, my household — that’s all I actually care about.”
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Mazzulla believes the explanation the connection between Brown and Tatum is so typically talked about is rooted in exterior disbelief that their dynamic doesn’t breed any rivalry between them.
“On the finish of the day, like, these two guys, their relationship is their relationship,” Mazzulla stated. “They love one another. They push one another each single day in observe. They convey with one another, however they go about it otherwise. And, I believe they each get it unfair being in contrast to one another. They’re totally different. And we see different duos across the league don’t should undergo that. … It’s as a result of they’ve been so profitable their total careers, they’ve been capable of for thus lengthy keep in success at a excessive degree.”
