BOSTON — Jason Kidd was a 10-time All-Star during his NBA career, and his size, skill and, yes, intelligence have made him one of the great playmakers in the NBA. Kidd sees the game better than most players, and that still holds true today. As Kidd's media availability was winding down on Saturday, he was asked a standard question about Jaylen Brown's game.
“Yeah, Jalen,” Kidd said, “is their best player.”
Boom, here's your story. Kid knew what he was going to do with that answer. course He did. Few dynamics have been scrutinized more closely than Brown and Jayson Tatum. Last week, ESPN filmed a Zapruder video of Tatum praising Brown for his conference finals MVP award. It didn't sit well with them and left them wondering if there was something wrong. Brown will always be compared to Tatum, a two-time All-NBA wing, teammate and constant competitor. Kidd's comments were less a compliment to Brown and more a chance to throw a grenade into the Boston locker room.
“It's Jay Kidd,” Celtics center Al Horford said with a laugh. “I know what he's doing.”
Surely, everyone thinks so. And why wouldn't you? If we learned anything from Boston's 107-89 thumping of the Mavericks in Game 1, it's that Dallas has been dominated in this series. Luka Doncic took 30 shots, but needed 26 to get there. Meanwhile, the Celtics were able to protect Doncic well, limiting him to one assist. Lobs and corner 3-pointers no longer carried the Mavericks to victories in a tough Western Conference. Instead, crowded drives and contested jump shots took over, with Dallas struggling to get past 7-foot-2 Kristaps Porzingis waiting at the rim.
“I think we played too much one-on-one,” Kidd said. “We've got to move bodies. We've got to move the ball. We've got to have multiple guys touch the ball. We were too stagnant, and that's not the style of play we have. We've got to get better.”
Kyrie Irving is going to be better because it can't get any worse for him. Irving scored 12 points on Thursday, shooting 31.6 percent from the field and missing all five of his three-pointers. There was a lot of talk about how the Boston crowd would react to Irving on Thursday, and while there were some obligatory chants, the reaction was relatively muted overall. “I thought there would be a lot more yelling,” Irving said. Many of Irving's misses came on open shots, and Dallas is confident they will make those shots if he takes those same shots in Game 2.
“This was our first time playing together as a team on this final stage,” Irving said. “Experience is the best teacher when you don't know what's going to happen.”
Even as good as Irving is, Dallas needs more from Derek Lively II, a bouncy rookie who took one shot in 18 minutes; Derrick Jones Jr., who was 2-of-9 from the field; and Josh Green, who was 1-of-4. The Mavs committed 11 turnovers in Game 1, which led to 18 Celtics points.
“We've got to take care of the ball,” Kidd said. “We've got to take the strain off Kai and Luka, put them in different spots on the court and let them take some of the stress off and perform at a high level, which we weren't able to do in Game 1.”
Kidd created a furor with his praise for Brown, and the furor hasn't died down in the Boston locker room. For years, the pair's relationship has been scrutinized, but in the end, it only strengthened their bond. Tatum and Brown are very different people, but they share the same goal. After six conference finals appearances and two NBA Finals appearances, it's important they don't leave this game empty-handed.
“It's a team sport, you know?” Tatum said. “I understand that. Without JB on the team, we wouldn't be here. That goes for a lot of players. We've all played a part to get to where we are. I understand people are trying to create a rift between us, and I think that's a smart way to do it. We've been in this position for years with people trying to divide us and say one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. So this isn't the first time this has happened to us.”
“We've been very focused on our roles and our jobs. We've all had to make sacrifices,” Brown said. [Kidd] He had to do it at the highest level and I respect him and admire him for that. At this point, you have to do whatever it takes to win and not let any outside interpretation come into play.”
Dallas made Tatum feel slighted and overcompensated. Too It'll be tough to assert himself in Game 2. Tatum said that's not likely to happen. Tatum wants to score, but if the Mavs continue to lean defensively toward him again and keep him on the defensive, Tatum will likely keep moving the ball. He had five assists in Game 1 and could have piled on a few more if he'd made more shots.
“It's about reading the game,” Tatum said. “When you have the ball, it's about drawing attention. It's about creating advantages. We talk about it all the time, watching film, creating advantages, finding the mismatches you want. It doesn't necessarily translate to a shot. Or, if you set a screen and a smaller guy gets you, you create a mismatch and you ask for the ball, maybe another defender will come and help you out, and another guy can get a shot. Those things don't show up on the stat sheet, but they're part of the way we play, and sometimes you have to make a sacrificial cut or do those things to get a good shot.”
Despite years of success as teammates, All-Star and All-NBA selections, 50-win seasons and big playoff runs, questions about Tatum and Brown's relationship still linger. The only thing that could end it is if Boston comes one win closer to it on Sunday.
