A Summer of Change for Tatum and Brown
Tatum and Brown kept in touch over the summers via text. Occasionally, they ran into each other after the playoffs and before training camp. They were teammates and colleagues, but not close friends. Offseasons tend to feel short when playoff runs are long.
Last summer, the Celtics lost a Game 7 to the Miami Heat in the conference finals. Tatum turned an ankle, and Brown couldn't pick up the slack. It was a loss that could tear a team apart. The team was about to get more expensive with Brown's contract. Both stars sensed the urgency. The Celtics had been patient with them, unlike fans and media. Brown called Tatum to suggest they work out together.
Assistant coach Sam Cassell arranged workouts. Trainer Drew Hanlen ran them. Paul Pierce lifted weights with them and sat in on their workouts. They pushed each other and cemented a bond. This bond carried through one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history.
Overcoming Adversity
They were always good and talented, but the game needed to slow down for them. Comparisons were made to Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, among others. Tatum and Brown experienced ego issues, tough opponents, and injuries, but they never lost faith.
The Celtics made wholesale changes to support Tatum and Brown. Brad Stevens transitioned from coach to president of basketball operations. Ime Udoka was hired and then fired as coach. Joe Mazzulla was hired as an assistant and then promoted to head coach. Three veteran stars were brought in to mentor them. The team leaned into Tatum and Brown as leaders.
The Decision to Keep Them Together
Stevens is responsible for keeping Brown and Tatum together. He signed off on drafting each of them and built the team around them. He declined trades for several big-name players over the years and often reassured Brown of the organization’s commitment to him. Eventually, Stevens signed Brown to the largest contract in NBA history.
Brown used the commitment as motivation to improve. He played the best basketball of his career in these playoffs. He was named MVP of the conference finals and finals.
The Journey to Championship Glory
Tatum and Brown heard media criticisms but blocked them out. Tatum's 6-year-old son Deuce symbolizes his journey with the Celtics. Brown and Tatum have been through losses, expectations, and media speculation. Deuce helped Tatum after losing the 2022 Finals. Tatum focused on training and addressing weaknesses in his game, improving significantly in the playoffs.
Tatum and Brown’s story often involves their personal relationship. They won together, making debates about their relationship irrelevant. The Celtics had a highly successful season with minimal drama. Mazzulla talks about having a growth mentality.
Quotes
“We were always good and talented. The game needed to slow down.”
"Oh, they didn't win it. They can't play together. They should trade him."
"It's what it's all about. When we're all done in our time with the Celtics, as coaches, as players, all that's going to really matter is how we treated each other. Nothing else matters."
"I always felt for him in that regard. I think now that maybe I could have been better."
"You worry about how some people would handle that. Not Jaylen. He's a worker. He just wants to get better. He takes everything as motivation to improve."
"I don't ever win s---."
"If you would have asked me that maybe a year ago, I would probably say yeah. But just at the point I got to right now, it feels great. Any of the personal awards, it is what it is."
"I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together."
"He was born six weeks into the season and I was scared. I was like, 'I don't want to roll over on him.'"
"He was scared s----, just like I was as a father. No one's ready to have a child when they're still living out their childhood dream. But I've seen him grow so much. He's really a great dad."
“You're damn right I am."
"It took being relentless."
"It took being on the other side of this and losing in the Finals and being at literally the lowest point in a basketball career that you could be, to next year, to the following year, thinking that was going to be the time, and come up short again.
“Now, to elevate yourself in a space that, you know, all your favorite players are in, everybody that they consider greats or legends have won a championship, and all of the guys I looked up to won a championship, multiple championships. Now I can, like, walk in those rooms and be a part of that. It's a hell of a feeling. This is more -- I dreamed about what it would be like, but this is 10 times better."
"The whole Jayson-Jaylen discussion in the national media is laughable to all of us."
"I don't have the time to give a f---."
"What do you remember about that series? [Michael Jordan's] pull-up clincher at the end of Game 6, right? But do you remember that they lost Game 1? Do you remember that he missed a game winner? Do you remember? He was 9-for-26 and a Game 5 loss.' All you remember was the game, the clinching pull-back game winner."
"My big thing to him was, 'Hey, no one really cares what you did game by game. All that really matters is if you hang a banner.'"
"To me, teams thrive when there's little drama and they're moving in one direction."
"You have to stay in long enough. That's how you grow."