THE Boston Celtics defeated the The Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in 2024 NBA FinalsSome games were hard fought, but Boston ultimately came out on top. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd made headlines during the finals after make an eye-catching statement by Jaylen BrownKidd called Brown the Celtics’ “best player” during an NBA Finals press conference.
Kidd has since explained his commentsHe did it again speaking on Dubs Talk: A Golden State Warriors Podcast, video via Celtics on NBC Sports Boston.
“He (Brown) was playing at his best at the time,” Kidd said. “Some people thought I was trying to start something. But he had just won the Eastern Conference MVP. He ended up winning the Finals MVP. So I don’t know if I was wrong. But as we know, sometimes the media can think I was trying to start something between Jayson and Jaylen. But that wasn’t it. I was just making the comment that Jaylen was playing at a high level… It’s not that I was starting anything. But Jaylen, he was playing his best basketball at the right time… Some people thought I was trying to start something, but that wasn’t the case.”
What exactly did Jason Kidd say?
Kidd clearly believes his comment even though he wasn’t trying to start anything. The Mavs head coach is an undisputed Brown fan.
“Jaylen is their best player,” Kidd said in an interview with reporters in June. “Just look at what he does defensively, he took Luka (Doncic) all over the court. He went to the free throw line. He did everything. And that’s what your best player does… He plays both ends, defense and offense, at a high tempo. He’s done that the entire playoffs. When you talk about the Eastern Conference MVP, it seems like he continues to pick up where he left off. So he’s playing at a high tempo.”
People around the NBA world immediately began wondering if Kidd was trying to get inside the heads of the Celtics stars. Jayson Tatum was considered Boston’s best player in recent years, but Brown had just won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award at the time.
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Brown and Tatum didn’t pay attention to Kidd’s comments too much going on during the NBA Finals. Brown explained how the Celtics focused on the task at hand. Tatum echoed a similar sentiment. The Celtics’ stars focused on leading the team and they eventually achieved their goal of winning a championship.
When will the Mavericks and Celtics play in 2024-25?
The NBA Finals rematch between the Mavericks and Celtics will draw a lot of attention during the 2024-25 season. The reigning Western and Eastern Conference champions will face each other twice during the upcoming campaign. Dallas will host the Celtics on January 25 in their first head-to-head meeting. The Mavericks will then travel to Boston on February 6.
Kidd’s comments may come back into the mix before games, but the Mavericks and Celtics will still try to stay focused and eliminate distractions.
