Tatum, Brown should conduct Celtics’ title defense as a revenge tour

Tatum, Brown should conduct Celtics’ title defense as a revenge tour originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Get rested. Get right. Get revenge.

Not the typical rallying cry to inspire a title defense, but this hasn’t been an ordinary offseason for the world champion Boston Celtics.

If C’s superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown expected validation in the wake of Banner 18, they have been repeatedly, humiliatingly disabused of that notion.

We all know what happened at the 2024 Paris Olympics. First, Brown didn’t make Team USA, skipped as Kawhi Leonard’s injury replacement even after winning both playoff MVP awards. When he insinuated that the decision rested partly with uber-sponsor Nike, he was subjected to a demeaning back-and-forth with USA Basketball’s Grant Hill, who suggested he stop believing conspiracy theories. Brown emerged diminished, looking like a second-tier star who’s still not welcome in the cool kids’ club.

What happened to Tatum was even worse. Fresh off 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 as a healthy scratch, and then barely gave him 10 minutes in the gold medal tilt vs. France. Even Tatum’s mom 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 is meant to keep them from repeating as champions.

After all, at exactly the moment when the duo should be waving scepters, they’ve instead been waved away dismissively. They finally kick down the door, only to find a security gate slamming shut in their face.

The NBA establishment doesn’t seem to believe the Celtics deserved their title. So dominant was their run that we were improbably subjected to a revival of the Jayson vs. Jaylen debate in the playoffs, complete with soap opera spot shadows evaluating the former’s reaction to the latter winning 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…

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Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-08-14 17:07:00

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