Drake Maye got Jayson Tatum to sign his Celtics jersey ahead of Game 1

BOSTON -- Drake Maye is hoping to become the face of the New England Patriots in the near future. On Tuesday, the rookie quarterback got to meet Jayson Tatum, the face of the Boston Celtics franchise -- and the current face of Boston sports.

Maye and Tatum, both of whom were the third overall pick in their respective drafts, crossed paths at TD Garden ahead of Tuesday night's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and the Indiana Pacers. The two had a brief chat before Tatum signed the No. 0 Celtics jersey that Maye had with him.

It didn't seem like there was any animosity between the two, which was not a given considering Tatum went to Duke and Maye went to North Carolina, a college rivalry that rivals that of Celtics-Lakers and Red Sox-Yankees. Perhaps they're saving that discussion for another time.

It was a pretty cool scene to see the current face of Boston sports sharing a moment with New England's potential quarterback of the future. And Maye was rocking his Tatum jersey when he was featured on the jumbotron, and received a huge ovation from Celtics fans.

While Tatum was getting ready to go to work against the Pacers (dropping 36 points in Boston's Game 1 win), Maye was enjoying some down time after Tuesday's OTA in Foxboro. And this wasn't the first playoff game at TD Garden that Maye got to see this summer. He and second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk attended Game 4 of the Bruins-Panthers playoff series on May 12 after the conclusion of New England's rookie camp in Foxboro.

The Bruins lost that game though, and the Celtics nearly lost in front of Maye on Tuesday night. Thankfully, Jaylen Brown sank a huge game-tying three in the final seconds of regulation, and Boston went on to win 133-128 in overtime.

Given the way Game 1 ended, maybe the Celtics should make sure Maye is courtside again for Thursday night's Game 2.