Jason Kidd has gotten quite a reaction from the basketball world following his comments Saturday when he called Jaylen Brown the Celtics' best player.
The Dallas Mavericks coach was asked what makes Brown so tough to go up against, to which he responded with the quote of the day.
"Well, Jaylen is their best player," Kidd told reporters. "Just looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka full court. He got to the free throw line. He did everything, and that's what your best player does.
"Just understanding he plays both sides, defense and offense, at a high rate. And he's been doing that the whole playoffs. I mean, when talk about the Eastern Conference MVP, and it seems like he has continued to pick up where he left off."
Of course, Brown was asked about Kidd's comments and why he thought it was said as the Celtics find themselves up 1-0 in the NBA Finals following a 107-89 victory in Game 1.
"I don't know. It's a team game," Brown said during his media availability. "We're trying to focus on that, and, you know, everybody has their own opinions."
Jayson Tatum didn't really seemed too fazed by what he believed was a tactic by Kidd to create separation among the two Celtics All-Stars and roster.
"No reaction. This is a team sport, right," Tatum said in Saturday's presser. "We understand that. We wouldn't be here if we didn't have JB on our team, and we can say that for a lot of guys, right. We have all played a part in getting to where we’re at, and we understand that people try to drive a wedge between us.
"I guess it's a smart thing to do or try to do. We've been in this position for many of years of guys trying to divide us and say that one of us should be traded or one is better than the other. So it's not our first time at the rodeo."
The All-NBA forward also mentioned how he has had talks with Brown over the years about those that want to cause a divide between them and the rest of their teammates.
"Yeah, we've had conversations about it before," Tatum said. "In all reality, we've just had to deal with it for a very long time. I think it's part of us maturing as men, right. Very, very young coming into this league, and just had to deal with all the ups and downs of, essentially, the success that we've had.
"There's been positive things and there's been negative things that come with that. We are not the first duo to go through that process, and we won't be the last. So understanding that side of it, and just keeping the main thing the main thing, and focusing on the job that we have front of us."
Al Horford sees Kidd's comments as strategic, while also calling the former point guard "sneaky" at the same time.
"J-Kidd, man, I see what he is doing," Horford told the media. "I see what he is doing. Jaylen Brown is an unbelievable player and very special for us."
The other Celtics' veteran in Jrue Holiday had a different take and approach on Kidd's comments that seemed to back up what the Mavericks' coach said
"I don't think he's lying," Holiday said in an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I think JB has been aggressive in every single way. He's been getting to the paint, getting to the free-throw line, and then also making plays for other people."
"I've been on teams where, any team, where does your best player have such a heavy load on the offensive end, and then just as equal a heavy load on the defense end?" Holiday added "That's hard to do. That's hard to do, especially against someone like Luka."
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla kept it simple and spoke on when it comes to what is said in the locker room is what actually matters instead of outside noise and distractions.
"Just need to focus on the truth," Mazzulla said during his presser. "At the end of the day, nobody knows because they are not in the locker room. And so I think as long as we focus on the truth, we focus on the things that we talk about every day, we focus on the relationships that we build with each other, we focus on just that stuff."They can look at it however they want. At the end of the day, what goes on in our locker room, how we communicate with each other, how we build relationships with each other and how we treat each other on and off the floor, that's the most important thing."
Boston will look to take a 2-0 series lead when Game 2 tips-off at 8:00 pm ET Sunday at TD Garden, as ABC has the broadcast.
Joel Pavón
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