BOSTON (AP) — Jason Kidd had no idea how to stop the Boston Celtics. Game 1 of NBA Finals.
Now he's hoping they'll get out of his way.
The Mavericks head coach appeared to be trying to sow discord in the Boston locker room on Saturday when he named Jaylen Brown as the Celtics' best player, a comment clearly intended to rile up actual NBA first-team player Jayson Tatum, who finished sixth in league MVP voting.
When asked about his strategy for defending Brown during an offseason media availability, Kidd responded, “Jalen is their best player…” to reporters' surprise and wondering, “Did he really just say that?” (This was the final question of his press conference, so no follow-up questions were asked.)
Tatum said that wouldn't work.
“I understand there are people who are trying to create a rift between us, and I think that's a smart thing to do, or try to do,” Tatum said. “We've been in this position for years, with people trying to split us apart and say one of us should be traded or one of us is better than the other, so this is not the first time we've been through this.”
On that point, Brown completely agreed.
“We've been very focused on our roles and our jobs. We've all had to make sacrifices,” he said. “At this point, we just have to do whatever it takes to win, and we can't let any outside interpretation come between us.”
Drafted third overall back-to-back years, Brown and Tatum have emerged as one of the NBA's best duos, leading the Celtics to five Eastern Conference finals appearances in their seven seasons together. But this year, despite their success — 64 wins, the league's No. 1 overall seed and a second NBA Finals appearance — they had to contend with speculation that there wasn't room for them in the locker room.
Though Tatum has better career numbers, Brown is the highest-paid player in the league. A coincidence of timing and age means Brown will get the first chance at a supermax contract extension, making more than $300 million over five years. Brown also outqualified Tatum for the 2022 NBA Finals and was named MVP of this year's conference finals, outscoring Tatum 22-16 in Game 1 against Dallas on Thursday night.
That might explain why Kidd said twice Saturday that Brown was Boston's biggest threat.
“Jalen's their best player,” the Mavericks coach said. “He's done it all. That's what the best players do. He understands how to make high percentage plays on both the defensive and offensive ends. He's done that all through the playoffs.”
But no one else seems to think so.
Tatum is averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists this season while Brown is averaging 23, 5.5 and 3.6 points. Brown outplayed Tatum in Game 1, but Tatum has better numbers so far in the playoffs. (More: The real star of the opening match It was Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he isn't worried about intra-team conflict getting in the way of the team, as long as his players “stay focused on what's real.”
“What goes on in the locker room, how we communicate with each other, how we relate to each other, how we treat each other on and off the court, that's the most important thing,” he said.
The Mavericks have a Big Two: guard Luka Doncic, a five-time All-NBA first team selection; Kyrie Irving Irving, who won the 2016 NBA championship with Cleveland alongside LeBron James despite their struggles to coexist, said he tries not to listen to talk that pits him against his teammates.
“I'm here to play basketball,” Irving said. “I have to be selfless in my approach. Obviously it doesn't always work out, but as teammates, we just want to put aside the things that aren't as important and get better as a team. So I just leave it to everybody else to debate whose team it is and who is most responsible. It's all of our job to be prepared.”
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