During this year's 2024 NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd made some waves by telling the media Jaylen Brown was the best player on the Boston Celtics. The fact that Kidd said this somewhat unprompted after the Mavs dropped Game 1 led to many (including Celtics players) calling Kidd out for trying to play mind games and drive a wedge between Brown and fellow Boston superstar Jayson Tatum. Kidd dismissed that accusation at the time.
He did so again on Tuesday. In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, Kidd was asked about Brown and yet again insisted he was not trying to "start something" between his opponent's best players. He pointed out the fact that Brown was coming off an Eastern Conference Finals MVP award and the overall impression he got that Brown was playing his best basketball at the right time. Then Kidd said the media was to blame for the messier interpretation of what he clearly felt was merely a compliment.
"He was playing the best, I think, at the time," Kidd said. "Some took it as, I was trying to start something. But he had just won the Eastern Conference MVP, and then he actually ended up winning the MVP in the Finals. So I don't know if I was wrong. But as we know, media can sometimes take it as, I was trying to start something between Jayson and Jaylen. It wasn't that. I was just making a comment that Jaylen is playing at a high level. [Jrue] Holiday agreed. It wasn't that I was starting anything.
"But Jaylen was. Jaylen was playing his best basketball at the right time and I made that comment. Some took it as I was trying to start something, but I wasn't."
Jason Kidd clarifies why he called Jaylen Brown the Celtics' best player during the NBA Finals🗣️
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 20, 2024
Via @NBCSAuthentic
Check out the full interview: https://t.co/wfEKgNJ1ED 🎧 pic.twitter.com/1hPoysdLgP
Regardless of the intention behind Kidd's comments, there is no bad blood between him and Brown. They appeared on the above podcast together because they teamed up to launch a non-profit in Oakland. Both attended the University of California Berkley. The pair may have battled in ways on the court, but off it they seem to share similar values.
Ultimately Brown was, indeed, the Celtics' best player in that series, as is reflected by his Finals MVP award. Kidd and his Mavericks will get their first shot at revenge in January of 2025, when they host Boston for the first of two matchups next season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jason Kidd Blames Media For Interpretation of Jaylen Brown Comments During NBA Finals.
