Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made some insightful remarks the day before Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals, when his team was trailing 1-0 in the series against the Boston Celtics.
“Jaylen (Brown) is their best player,” Kidd said at a press conference on June 8. “If you just look at what he’s doing defensively, he’s pressured Luka (Doncic) all over the court, got to the free throw line, he’s done everything. That’s what your best player does. He plays both sides, defense and offense, and he does it at a high frequency. He’s done that all playoff-wide. When you talk about the Eastern Conference MVP, it seems like he’s picking up where he left off.”
Many people interpreted these comments as Kidd trying to drive a wedge between Celtics superstars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum by reigniting the debate over which player was better/more important to Boston’s success.
Kidd is adamant that was not his intention with those comments. He just thought Brown played really well.
“I think he played his best then. Some people took it as me trying to start something. But he had just been voted Eastern Conference MVP and then he was voted Finals MVP, so I don’t know if I was wrong,” Kidd said in a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Monte Poole about the launch of Brown’s Oakland XChange initiative.
“But as we know, sometimes the media can take it as if I was trying to start something between Jayson and Jaylen, but that wasn’t it. I just made the comment that Jaylen is playing at a high level. So it wasn’t like I was instigating anything. But Jaylen was playing his best basketball at the right time. I made that comment and some people took it as if I was trying to start something, but I wasn’t.”
Brown averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in the series. He scored 30 points in Game 3 and hit a crucial jumper late in the fourth quarter of that victory. Brown was named Finals MVP after the Celtics eliminated the Mavs in Game 5 to win their 18th championship.
After bringing back almost the same squad that just won the Finals, Kidd acknowledges that the Celtics remain the team to beat.
“You have to compete against Boston. They won last season and are ready to compete for another title,” Kidd said. “You have to beat the defending champions. I’m glad they’re in the East.”
“Hopefully we can see them again, but it’s going to be a tough season because there are so many talented teams. Hopefully we’ll be one of the teams we can see again if Boston makes it there.”
Check out NBC Sports Bay Areas Dubs Talk Podcast to hear more of Brown’s conversation with Poole.
