Jason Kidd may have been playing some mind games on Saturday before Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
The Dallas Mavericks head coach was asked about Jaylen Brown and how the Mavericks can slow him down and said Brown, not Jayson Tatum, is the Celtics’ best player.
“Jaylen’s their best player. Looking at what he does defensively, he picked up Luka full court, got to the free throw line, did everything, and that’s what your best player does,” Kidd said.
Tatum saw what Kidd said but didn’t think much of it. He knows what Kidd is trying to do.
“We understand that people will try to drive a wedge between us, and I guess that’s a smart thing to do, but people have been trying to do that for years…it’s not our first rodeo,” Tatum said.
Tatum is focused on the task at hand, bringing an NBA title back to Boston for the first time since 2008.
The Celtics are three wins away from accomplishing that goal after taking Game 1. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.