Jaylen Brown is having fun and is proud to be leading a Celtics team past their preseason expectations, which doesn't have to mean he's taking shots at Jayson Tatum.
Then again, yes I can. Because there are people so desperate for the drama to justify their own existence, that they can’t just let a moment pass without trying to stir some up.The reaction, of course, some people thinking Brown was taking a shot at Tatum.
My favorite part is the “he still has to make a post that he knows people are going to react to and sort of question” line, which is meant to absolve the bad-take haver of having a bad take. ‘Hey, it’s not my fault I’m overreacting. He’s the one who gave me something to overreact to. He should have known I was going to overreact when he posted it!’Just once, I’d like to have someone faced with a choice between taking something at face value, and digging for some hidden middle finger tossed at a teammate, to take the logical path. But logic never enters this discussion. It’s always intentional drama aimed at pitting Brown against Tatum. How can I be so sure? Because Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday were traded away, and Al Horford and Luke Kornet walked for other opportunities. They were all on this team last year, but this was never interpreted as a shot at any of them. No one said ‘oh wow, look at Jaylen taking shots at Horford and Luke for leaving!’ No one said ‘huh, looks like Brown is antagonizing Porzingis and Holiday because he’s winning without them.’ There hasn’t been a hint of any of that. No. It’s always Jaylen vs. Jayson. That's the default, because the people making that argument have traded rational thought for tired regurgitation. These people simply aren’t willing to believe that Brown just wants to crow a little about what this team has accomplished.“I'm proud. I don't know what to tell you. I'm extremely proud of our group to where we're at right now,” Brown said at All-Star media day. “Second in the East versus how many players and everything that was being said, the gap year, and for us to be sitting here at All-Star break and having our guys feeling like we can even be better, I'm proud, bro.” Even if Brown is angling for a little credit for himself and his teammates, it doesn’t also have to mean it’s a shot at Tatum. Because I know if I walked into a season with most of the basketball world counting me out, I’d be letting people know how wrong they were all the time. I wouldn’t miss a chance.You know full well that if their show rose to the top of the ratings, I’d be one of the first people to hear about how wrong I am about them being the lowest common denominator of sports discourse. I’m not worried about it, though. As long as they keep dipping into the ‘Jaylen vs. Jayson’ well, they're not going anywhere. It’s a tired old trope, but they're not alone. There are fans who love one and hate the other. Any suggestion that they are equals in any way draws the ire from the other side. Any suggestion that one will have to adjust for the other moving forward is met with venom. But these guys need each other to win. Brown is having an incredible season that will earn him All-NBA honors, but he knows life would be easier with Tatum back. Tatum has tried to win without Brown before, and it was his only first round playoff exit. Brown is proud of his group for making this run to the second seed, and he should be. All of them should be. From the front office, to the coaches, to the chef and the locker room attendants, everyone should be taking a sense of pride in overperforming expectations and giving themselves a chance to make a deep run.When Tatum comes back, he and Brown are going to have to adjust their games a little to accommodate each other and their teammates. No one will be taking a back seat to the other. They’ll just have to turn March into a pseudo-training camp to work Tatum back into shape and into a cohesive part of the lineup. And they’ll do it without taking shots at anyone, because they're professionals, they're champions, and they have done nothing but perfectly represent the team and the city during their time here. For once, I’d like to go through a season that just celebrates these two guys for all the positives they’ve been, instead of constantly trying to rip them apart.Derrick White Has a Perfect Response For Not Making The All-Star TeamThree Boston Celtics Who Stand to Lose the Most When Jayson Tatum ReturnsJohn Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball . John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.Three Boston Celtics Who Stand to Gain the Most When Jayson Tatum ReturnsNBA MVP Odds: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Remains Favored Over Nikola Jokic, Cade CunninghamNBA Finals Odds at All-Star Break: Thunder, Nuggets, Cavs Highlight Top Contenders
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