After losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks head coach, Jason Kidd, deployed his mental warfare strategy against Jayson Tatum and Co. by terming Jaylen Brown the most important player for them. However, this didn’t bear any result in Game 2 as the Mavs were once again thrashed by 105-98. Now, it seems like he is retracting from his previous statement by giving Tatum his flowers, ahead of Game 3.
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Ben Golliver of the Washington Post recently reported that Kidd was heard saying great things about the Celtics star. According to Golliver, the Mavs head coach said, “He’s one of the best players in the world.”
This could be seen as damage control from the coach because now his team is down two and it wouldn’t look good on them if they continue to trash the team that’s beating them by big margins in the NBA Finals.
Mavericks’ Jason Kidd on Celtics’ Jayson Tatum: “He’s one of the best players in the world.”
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 11, 2024
However, there is some redeeming value in Kidd’s previous comment. Tatum has not been at his best in the last leg of the season. In the recently concluded Eastern Conference Finals, he was not the best player on his team. As a result, he ended up losing the EC Finals MVP title to Brown.
Besides, the five-time All-Star is not seen in his usual volume-scoring role in the postseason. In the first two games of the finals series, he has not been the highest scorer for his team.
In Game 1, Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and five assists, and in Game 2, he added 18 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists. So, it’s understandable why many agreed with Kidd’s statement. However, if it was part of a strategy, it has failed miserably because not being the best player on the team is the last thing that Tatum is putting his focus on right now.
Jayson Tatum responded to Kidd’s comment
Tatum and Brown have been the backbone of this Celtics team. As a result, when Kidd tried to drive a wedge in the team, many people believed it would disrupt peace within the organization at such an important time. Rachel Nichols said that it would end up “Lighting Boston sports radio on fire for the next 24 hours.” However, there have not been any such consequences.
When Tatum was asked for his response to the comment, he said,
“We understand that. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have JB on our team… We’ve all played a part to get to where we’re at. We understand that people try to drive a wedge between us and it’s a smart thing to…try to do.”
The Celtics forward stated that this isn’t the first time someone from the outside has tried this trick. Fortunately, the Celtics are a close-knit group that will not allow the outside noise to take a toll on them. Additionally, fans and athletes are much aware of the head coach’s shrewd techniques and the team might have been ready for it.
