BOSTON — Whether it’s playmaking ability or sheer bluntness from the Dallas coach, Jason Kidd’s proclamation that Jaylen Brown is Boston’s best player has certainly shifted the spotlight back to the battle that has unfolded over Brown’s seven seasons and Jayson Tatum together. It has been a struggle for the Celtics to resist the temptations of external antagonism, to the point that Jrue Holiday felt the need to clarify his statement on the matter in Saturday’s practice before Holiday answered questions from the media following his record 26 points. of the team, in the Celtics’ 105-98 Game 2 NBA Finals victory over the Mavericks on Sunday night.
“I don’t prefer one or the other. I prefer both,” Holiday said. “They are both superstars and it is being showcased here on the biggest stage in the world.”
The fact that neither Tatum nor Brown, and the first-team All-NBA selection in particular, are an offensive engine in their own right, a ball-striking playmaker like Luka Dončić at this late stage, has left margins for both Celtics All-Stars should be scrutinized when their best performances are absent from the biggest moments.
Several of Tatum’s powerful attacks on Sunday night, for his latest Twitter test, resulted in the ball skidding off the rim long enough to spin and fall into the hands of a Mavericks rebounder. His regression this postseason has been uneven from both the 3-point range and the midrange. When Tatum made his only triple in Game 2, on a swing-swing-swing sequence late in the third, he shook his head with far more relief than pride. He shot just 6 of 22 from the floor and 1 of 7 from deep. “Obviously I need to shoot better,” Tatum said. “Gah-lee…”
Tatum, however, functioned more as a facilitator than Dončić tonight, as was also the case in Game 1 – when Tatum deployed five helpers for Dončić’s unique setup. Tatum racked up eight assists by halftime Sunday night before finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and 12 dimes. “It wasn’t like I had to do anything spectacular,” Tatum said. “It was just about finding the open guy.” Dallas had him squirming through the crowd whenever he tested the paint — often thanks to Dončić’s killer defense opening up a lane for Tatum or Brown to drive. “Every time I take a few dribbles, there’s three people there,” Tatum said. And that’s when he responded by shooting at teammates when many Mavericks followed suit.
“Going into a game is like a puzzle, and he did a great job learning how to solve the puzzle and do different things,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Tonight, with the way they ran and the way they defended, the most important thing was making the right play at the rim.”
It was there late in Game 3 against Indiana where Tatum threw a behind-the-back beauty to Al Horford for a triple dagger after Tatum drew three defenders to the basket. It was there all Sunday night, as Tatum turned the corner and turned Dallas rotations into easy searches for shooters along the perimeter or for Holiday lurking along the baseline.
“Sometimes when I’m driving and I might get stuck, I need someone to drift with me or to be in space and in my vision,” Holiday said. “So I think for the most part, I just try to stay in front of him, give him a good outlet and he’s been making some great reads.”
Tatum was the first player to text Holiday after Boston traded for its former postseason opponent after Milwaukee traded the veteran guard to Portland for Damian Lillard. Tatum also found a special synergy with another Boston All-Star rookie, 7-foot center Kristaps Porziņģis, where the duo perfected a pick-and-pop action that stretches most opponents until they break.
The reality is that Boston is built to withstand poor shooting displays from any critical cog in its top six. Tatum wasn’t the only Celtic to struggle with his shot tonight. Boston was just 10 of 39 from beyond the arc. Porziņģis missed all three of his attempts in the city center. Sam Hauser missed all five. Brown was just 1 of 4.
But this lineup is so complete and deep that Tatum has so many players to support with all the eyes he commands, dancing with Derrick Jones Jr. “I draw so much attention that I’m not always going to be able to get it right,” Tatum said. Whereas, if Dallas doesn’t get efficient buckets from Dončić and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks may not really have the playmaking ability to escape one of these contests unscathed. Tatum instead focuses on prioritizing the ball around Boston’s attacking perimeter.
“I’m really tired of hearing about this guy or this guy or that guy and everyone trying to make it something other than Celtics basketball,” Mazzulla said. “Everyone who stepped on that court made winning plays on both ends of the court. That’s the most important.”
Holiday’s cut opened up several scoring opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t have materialized. Porziņģis, due to instability in the second half, encountered another flurry in the first quarter. Payton Prichard arrived in the third quarter with 3 seconds left and hit the buzzer beater that tipped all the momentum in favor of the noisy home crowd. Brown said Boston’s backup point guard even entered the game to throw that exact prayer off the backboard and through the cotton. Many players won’t throw that Hail Mary to save their precious percentages. “The game that cannot go unnoticed, the humility of our team, is Payton’s shot at the end of the quarter,” Mazzulla added.
“We have a lot of weapons on our team,” Brown said.
The Celtics are now two wins away from closing the deal this franchise feels they squandered two years ago after taking a 2-1 lead over Golden State in the 2022 NBA Finals. Celtics forward Ime Udoka challenged Tatum for the first time to improve as a passer. Much of his and this team’s overall evolution has resulted from the shortcomings of this series. “It has a lot to do with the fact that I’ve been here before and we haven’t won,” Tatum said of his willingness to move the ball.
As this matchup returns to Dallas, don’t expect anything to change in his approach either, even if his scoring never improves or his setbacks never stabilize. He is Boston’s leading rebounder in both contests, knocking down 11 boards in both. He switched to Dončić game after game, with the Celtics placing Tatum over Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II in preparation for Dallas’ endless pick-and-rolls. He is crouched in his position. He moved his feet.
“We always talk about doing whatever it takes,” Tatum said, “for as long as it takes.”
