Tatum and Brown set to run Celtics title defense like revenge tour originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Rest. Get it right. Take revenge.
Not the typical rallying cry to inspire title defense, but this was no ordinary off-season for the world champion Boston Celtics.
If C’s superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown expected validation in the wake of Banner 18, they were repeatedly and humiliatingly disabused of that notion.
We all know what happened at the 2024 Paris Olympics. First, Brown didn’t make Team USAwas not an injury replacement for Kawhi Leonard, even after winning both playoff MVP awards. When he insinuated that the decision partially rested with super-sponsor Nikehe was subjected to a humiliating back-and-forth with USA Basketball’s Grant Hill, who suggested he stop believing in conspiracy theories. Brown emerged diminished, looking like a second-string star who is still not welcome in the cool kids’ club.
What happened to Tatum was even worse. Fresh from the title that made him the potential face of the sport, he found himself buried behind the old guard at the Paris Olympics. Head coach Steve Kerr benched Tatum for two full games like a healthy scratch, and I barely gave it 10 minutes in the gold medal match against France. Until Tatum’s mother wanted to know what the hell was going on.
It’s enough to Make you wonder if there’s a conspiracy at work against the Celtics, as if sabotaging the two stars now would prevent them from repeating as champions.
After all, just when the duo should have been waving scepters, they were dismissed with disdain. They finally broke down the door, only to find a security gate slamming in their faces.
The NBA establishment doesn’t seem to believe the Celtics deserved the title. Their run was so dominant that we were improbably subjected to a revival of the Jayson vs. Jaylen in the playoffs, complete with soap opera shadows gauging the reaction of the former to the latter winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and other ephemera.
Former Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams noted on his podcast that you can’t name another duo so consistently pitted against each other. Still, partnerships involving guys who didn’t even necessarily like each other — Jordan and Pippen, Kobe and Shaq — were joined by “and,” while Brown and Tatum are often described as “versus.” For years, discussions focused on dividing them rather than maximizing their alliance.
A championship should have changed that, but the Celtics seemingly benefited from an easy path, which conveniently negates their ability to make things look that way. Beating the Heat without Jimmy Butler, the Cavs (mostly) without Donovan Mitchell, and the Pacers after an injury to Tyrese Haliburton affixed an asterisk to their Finals run that not even beating the Mavericks at full strength in five games could dispel.
Did anyone make a similar observation about Nikola Jokić’s 2023 Nuggets after beating three play-in teams en route to the title? No. But the rules look different for the C’s and their two young stars.
That’s okay, because now comes the fun part.
Over the next six weeks, Brown, Tatum and company must relax and reset before reloading. Title defenses are never easy, which is why the NBA has had a unique champion for six consecutive years, beating a record set between 1975-80.
The usual challenge is complacency, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the C’s, not if their two stars have any pride. The doubts they overcame to win it all remain stubbornly ingrained, and there’s an entire commentator drooling to proclaim the 2024 flag a once-in-a-lifetime fluke.
There is only one way to silence this conversation: do it again.
The fiery Brown never lacks motivation, and Tatum just let us see how much the criticism fueled him after finally lighting up the victory cigar. (“What are they going to say now?”) If any of them expected this to be the end, they were sadly mistaken.
So get ready for a season unlike any other. Title defenses and revenge tours don’t typically overlap, but welcome to the 2024-25 Boston Celtics. If only the season started tomorrow.
