BOSTON — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are underneath immense strain to information the Celtics to information the Celtics to an NBA Finals title, which Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd can perceive from first-hand expertise.
Kidd, now 11 years faraway from his taking part in profession, got here throughout the same scenario again when the 51-year-old was the chief of the then-New Jersey Nets. Enjoying alongside Brian Scalabrine, Kidd and the Nets booked back-to-back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, solely to get swept by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and defeated by Tim Duncan, respectively.
It took 17 years earlier than Kidd returned to the Finals, with Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, earlier than capturing his first and solely title as a participant.
“I feel you do should expertise it,” Kidd mentioned throughout Wednesday’s NBA Finals media day at TD Backyard. “I feel that’s the nicer approach to settle for dropping, is that you need to undergo it. It’s a sleek approach to settle for dropping. However you do should, once more, undergo defeat to grasp that dangerous style, how do you’re feeling, how does it make you’re feeling, to work in your sport, to get higher. There are occasions once you’re simply not ok. As a participant, sadly with the Nets, we performed the Lakers, we weren’t simply ok and we bought swept. There are some instances that you simply run into Shaq and Kobe. You bought to only take defeat after which transfer on.”
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It was a troublesome tablet to swallow when Tatum and Brown coughed up a 2-1 collection lead over the Warriors amid Boston’s 2022 run to the Finals. Dropping three straight whereas watching Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Inexperienced pop champagne and rejoice at TD Backyard in Recreation 6 created a scarring, however motivating reminiscence for each member of that Celtics workforce.
Tatum’s wrist harm hindered the Celtics star from being efficient all through the collection. He averaged 21.5 factors and shot an underwhelming 31.5% from 2-point vary. In the meantime, Brown grew to become a turnover machine, logging 20 in whole and capturing 29.4% in Recreation 2, after which 27.8% in Recreation 5.
Lengthy story brief, redemption is lengthy overdue.
The Japanese Convention has been up for grabs since LeBron James fled Cleveland for the sunshine in Los Angeles in 2018. Nonetheless, it has taken Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics over 5 years to acknowledge and reap the benefits of their championship window. They accrued a league-best 64 wins within the common season, dusted their arms after placing the Pacers away in 4 video games within the convention finals, and are proper again the place they had been.
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“They discovered one thing,” Kidd defined. “You possibly can see they’re taking part in at a excessive stage proper now, successful 64 video games, one of the best workforce within the NBA. To be penciled in at the start of the season, that places somewhat strain or stress since you’re purported to be right here. They fulfilled that.”
