Is this just the start of something special for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown?
BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can indeed win together. You can end that debate after Boston's dynamic duo led the franchise to its 18th NBA championship on Monday night.
Yes, Tatum and Brown can win together. The proof will soon hang inside TD Garden. Now the question becomes, how much can this talented pair win together?
Tatum and Brown were the stars of Boston's 106-88 title-clinching victory over the Mavericks on Monday night, putting on a show in front of Celtics fans at TD Garden. Tatum led the way with 31 points and 11 assists in his latest all-around effort, and Brown took home NBA Finals MVP honors after dropping 21 points and averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists for the series.
"Together" as a team
Title runs require everyone on a roster to come together as a team, and the Celtics did that better than anyone throughout their incredible season. "Together" was one of the key words in Boston's title run. "Sacrifice" was the other.
Veteran Al Horford made his way to the bench after Brad Stevens acquired Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason. Derrick White was happy to sacrifice his starting point guard role when Jrue Holiday was brought in. Holiday himself took a back seat in the offense to let everyone else shine.
But both Tatum and Brown made the most mature sacrifice of them all, giving up their own personal volume numbers for the better of the team. That was the case throughout the regular season, and even more so in the playoffs. Tatum struggled with his shot as defenses keyed in on him, and used that to Boston's advantage by becoming a master facilitator. (He was also a monster on the glass and played some excellent defense throughout the playoff run.)
Brown shouldered much of the scoring responsibilities and rose to the occasion by regularly sinking key and clutch shots. His heroics over the last month earning him MVP of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals.
Brown 'shares' MVP
After getting a hold of the Bill Russell Trophy on Monday night, Brown made it a point to say it was a shared award with his teammates -- especially Tatum.
"It was a full team effort and I share this with my brothers, and my partner in crime, Jayson Tatum," Brown said at midcourt. "He was with me the whole way."
Tatum was proud and happy for Brown, but he said that their focus was not on an MVP trophy. Their true desire was to get a hold of the Larry O'Brien trophy and add their own banner to the Celtics' vast collection in the TD Garden rafters.
And both know they couldn't have done it without the other.
Tatum and Brown need each other
"I know that I need him through this journey and he needs me," said Tatum. "It was great to see him have that moment and share that moment with him. I'm extremely happy for him. Well-deserved. That was big-time. He earned that."
Tatum and Brown have been surrounded by questions and outside doubt for much of their careers. Brown's selection in 2016 was booed on draft night, as a chunk of fans wanted Danny Ainge to trade that pick for a veteran ready to win. The following year, Ainge took a chance and traded back from the No. 1 overall pick, passing up on a chance to draft Markelle Fultz to take Tatum a few picks later. Both picks were acquired in Ainge's blockbuster heist with the Brooklyn Nets, a move that paid off in the fullest 11 years later. Ainge is in Utah now, but he deserves an assist for Boston's latest title.
Tatum and Brown have led the Celtics on deep playoff runs in just about every season they've worn green, but there were growing pains and several heartbreaking playoff losses to reach this point. Neither Tatum or Brown were ready for a title two years ago when the Celtics lost to the Warriors in six games. They looked ready last year, until they lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Those two summers of disappointment only fueled their desire to win, and win in Boston. While painful, both were important stepping stones for Tatum and Brown to become the players -- and NBA champions -- they are today.
Learning from past mistakes
"I think we learned from all of our mistakes. All of our adversity has made us stronger, made us tougher," Brown said Monday night. "All season you could see it. We started from the jump. We made all the sacrifices. We played both ends of the ball at a high level. We didn't skip any steps. And this was the result.
"All of moments where we came up short, we felt like we let the city down, let ourselves down, all of that compiled is how we get to this moment," added Brown. "And it makes it feel even that much better that we had to go through all the journey, the heartbreak, the embarrassment, the loss, to get to the mountaintop. It's great. And shout out to all the supporters and the city of Boston."
"This is at the top of the mountain," Tatum echoed. "To be able to say we did it, that we came together and we won a championship. Banner No. 18 has been hanging over our head for so many years. To know that we're going to be engraved in history, and it still hasn't like registered. I'm just still trying to process it all.
"But we did it. We won a championship," said Tatum.
Can they do it again?
They did indeed do it, winning a title for the team that drafted them. The Celtics let Tatum and Brown develop and Stevens has surrounded them with an incredible supporting cast.
After the championship hangover fades a bit, the focus will become whether or not they can do it again. The Celtics will have their core back next season, with Brown about to begin his supermax contract and Tatum set to receive his own this summer. With Tatum only 26 and Brown only 27, they are entering the primes of their career.
It feels like Tatum and Brown just needed to get over the championship hump for the floodgates to really open. The sky is the limit for both of them, and there are visions of a budding dynasty in Boston.
Tatum and Brown proved to everyone that they can win a championship, and they can do it together. But they're ready for the doubters to question if they can do it again, and will be ready to answer when the 2024-25 NBA season tips off.
"The doubters, they may be quiet now, but they will be back," Brown said. "They will be back next year with something else to say. I'll embrace that moment the same and get after it yet again."
