The wait is nearly over. The Boston Celtics face the rival Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night in a primetime game in South Philly. It'll mark the first time Celtics star Jayson Tatum and former Celtics star Jaylen Brown line up on opposite sides from one another in their seasoned NBA careers. Brown was traded from the C's over the summer and made it clear last month that he hasn't talked to his ex-teammate of almost a decade since the deal went down.
This revelation and some shady comments from Brown on social media have generated plenty of chatter about a supposed feud between the pair of 2024 NBA champions. It's raised the stakes for Tuesday night's showdown at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, yet Tatum isn't playing into the hype.
"It’s another game
on the schedule and it’s the Celtics versus the Sixers," Tatum said on Sunday night when asked for his thoughts on squaring off with Brown, via CLNS Media. "In the words of (former Celtics coach) Brad Stevens, they all count as one."
Although Brown previously stirred up a lot of the current drama with talk of beef (or lamb chops) and PR teams, he did attempt to steer the conversation surrounding Tuesday's marquee matchup away from his relationship with Tatum.
"There’s nothing to talk about," Brown replied on Sunday evening when asked if he plans on chatting with Tatum in Philly, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. "He’s on his side. I’m on my side. We’re playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win. Nothing to talk about. Check the ball up."
While the recent narratives concerning Tatum and Brown are all about the divide between them, it's worth noting how united they once were. Former Celtic forward Danilo Gallinari even revealed that their closeness stood out to him when he was teammates with them during the 2022-23 season.
"They were playing so much one-on-one together every single day, which is something that I've never seen from two All-Stars in a team," he said on Thursday in an interview with Justin Quinn of Celtics Wire. "Once I saw that, I was like, 'Well, your two best players, your two stars, have that relationship on the court. We have a chance to win the championship'. So for me, it was great to see how they were handling themselves on the court."
Tatum, Brown, and the Celtics won it all during the 2023-24 campaign — just a season after Gallinari's observations. Perhaps Tatum and Brown can reminisce on this at some point and settle whatever discord haunts their former connection.
Regardless of when or if that happens, Tatum and Brown will both be gunning to earn a win for their respective teams. The Celtics are 8-2 overall and less than a game behind the 9-2 Sixers.
"It's nothing more than Celtics versus Sixers," Tatum stated.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum downplays meeting with Jaylen Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
