Just under a week removed from the Boston Celtics coming up short in its first NBA Finals appearance in 12 seasons the New England sports world is torn. On one hand you have fans who think the season was a success. Look how far they came since they turned it around in January and had a remarkable comeback. They came withing 2 games of winning an NBA Finals. On the other hand fans are mad about blowing a 2-1 lead in the finals and losing 3 straight to let the title slip through their fingers.
I've had some time to process the end result. I am of the belief celebrating a "successful season" that ended in a collapse as bad as theirs was is just giving the team excuses they do not need. It is widely believed that Jayson Tatum is the best player on the team. I am in the minority who say Jaylon Brown is better. Brown showed up for the finals where as Tatum rode in the back seat. The supposed top 5 or top 10 player did his best impression of a magician when he disapeared in several games not just in the Finals but throughout the playoffs. He had a poor shooting percentage from inside the arc and set an all-time record for most turnovers by a player in the playoffs. Those who know me would say I've been on the TTT express (Trade Tatum Train) for a couple of years now. My roommate dubbed him "Jayson Trad'em" based on my opinion. With that being said I will try to leave my bias aside. It's no secret that Tatum has tremendous potential. He's naturally gifted with most traits you need to succeed in the NBA. The question is how bad does he want it and by it I mean winning championships not just good stats and ridiculous amounts of money. I think the best thing for the Celtics is for Tatum to deal with all the critisism he deserves for his bad performance in the biggest games of his career to this point. He needs this to drive him. What he doesn't need is for everyone to make excuses such as "oh he's still young" or "oh he played too many playoff minutes." I don't know about you but that sounds contradictory to me. How can he still be young but still play too much that he ran out of gas? Pick one or none at all. To me 5 years in the NBA which he was annointed as a future superstar from his rookie year is not too young. By now he should play more consistantly than he does. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH it's time for Tatum to show what he is or isn't. If he's a top 5 player then he needs to play like a top 5 player all year including the playoffs. If he's not then he's not and then the Celtics know he isn't the one to build around.
I'll leave you all with this to think about. Jaylon Brown had 34 points 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the final game. He clearly was the best Celtic in that game and the series only having one poor game. If the names were flipped you bet your bottom dollar the narrative would be Tatum needs help... well looks like it's Brown that may need the help. You won't hear that from experts though because for reasons I still cannot fathom, the NBA is dead set on marketing Tatum as a superstar. Brown is made out to be an afterthought in Boston and league wide. Brown's contract is up soon, he just hired Kanye West's sports agency. I hate to say it but the Celtics are in serious danger of losing a player which they take for granted. Unless the status quo changes and Brown recieves some of the respect he deserves, he should walk and he will walk. By the time the Celtics fanbase realizes what they had, Brown will be playing for another team. I can see the Mavericks being a fit. Pair him up with a legit top five player in Luka Doncic and the Dallas is an instant title contender.
