Boston Celtics
“To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson. He played well tonight.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s anticipated showdown between the Celtics and 76ers, Jayson Tatum attempted to tone down the drama surrounding his first meeting against his longtime teammate, Jaylen Brown.
“That it’s — another game on the schedule and it’s the Celtics vs. Sixers,” Tatum said after Boston’s win over the Bucks on Sunday. “As we say in the words of Brad Stevens, they all count as one.”
Brown — who has not minced words about the beef, or “lamb chops and gravy,” between himself and Tatum — had a far more blunt response.
“Nothing to talk about,” Brown told CLNS Media on Sunday about whether he planned to speak to Tatum before they battled on the hardwood Tuesday night. “He’s on his side; I’m on my side. We’re playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win. So there’s nothing to talk about. Check the ball up.”
Brown’s comments carried over into Tuesday’s meeting at Xfinity Mobile Arena between the top-two seeds in the Eastern Conference.
Once the starting lineups for both teams were introduced, Tatum attempted to dap up his ex-Celtics teammate of nine years before tipoff.
As Brown spun a basketball on his finger, he offered no acknowledgment or greeting to Tatum — who patted him on the chest before moving over to hug Sixers star LeBron James.
It was another icy chapter in what has been one of the top storylines in the NBA this year involving Brown’s stunning trade to Philadelphia and the resulting drama between him and Tatum.
But it was Tatum and the Celtics who had the last laugh against Brown and the Sixers on Tuesday — with Boston posting a statement win by way of a 123-101 blowout.
Paul George — traded to Boston as part of the blockbuster deal involving Brown — led the way with 36 points, while Tatum added 21 points and six rebounds of his own in the road victory.
Brown’s efforts to exact some revenge against Tatum and his former team never materialized — as he only scored 13 points and posted four turnovers with a team-worst minus-27 over 26 minutes.
After the loss, Brown was asked about the cold shoulder he gave Tatum ahead of tip-off.
“I’m just focused on coming out and doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said postgame. “Everything else was just, to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson. He played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics; they executed. They shot the hell out of the ball, and they were the better team tonight.”
Tatum was asked a similar question after Boston’s win, but opted to take the high road and not discuss his standing with Brown or the response he received from a longtime teammate.
“Like I said, there are no headlines about anything like that,” Tatum acknowledged. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for jump ball, go out there, compete, have some fun, and try to get a win.”
While Brown struggled with foul trouble for most of the night, Tatum and George were largely in command of the game for Boston — with Tatum also recording four assists and two blocks over his 32 minutes of game action.
Tatum has largely taken the high road when it comes to this supposed feud between him and Brown, with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praising his star forward for his ability to tune out distractions.
“They’re just words. It’s not like his life’s threatened,” Mazzulla said of Tatum. “There’s no weapons. No one is throwing anything at him. No one is attacking him. So, it’s not really that big of a deal. He’s probably been dealing with the spotlight since he was like 12 years old. … He doesn’t get enough credit for his emotional stability.”
As for Brown, he stressed that the build-up to Tuesday’s game and the anticipation of battling against Tatum and his former team didn’t derail his performance.
“I didn’t have any emotion. I was focused,” Brown said. “I was ready to go, and foul trouble took me out of my rhythm a little. I had to sit for a while. We just didn’t execute as well as they did and that was the story of the game. Even when I did get back, they had a good game plan.”
Once the game wrapped, Brown made the rounds to embrace several of his longtime Celtics teammates while Tatum was in the middle of a postgame interview with NBC. By the time Tatum wrapped up that interview, Brown was already off the floor.
They will meet again in another anticipated bout on Jan. 21 — this time at TD Garden.
After Tuesday’s sizable setback, Brown was asked if he’s glad this game is now in the rearview mirror.
“I guess you could say that,” Brown acknowledged. “I was looking forward to this. I was looking forward to, you know, playing well. But you know, [expletive] happens. Just get ready for the next one, I guess.”
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