The Dallas Mavericks have done everything possible this offseason to gear up for another run at the NBA Finals, as the Mavericks retooled by adding defensive studs Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes to help bolster their defense at the point of attack and on the wing.
The Mavericks also managed to add an all-time 3-point marksman as well as another ball handler in Klay Thompson and Spencer Dinwiddie, so needless to say the Mavericks project to be much more dynamic on both sides of the ball next season.
The Boston Celtics had unmatched lineup versatility last season with whatever five-man combination they whipped out against the Mavericks in last season’s NBA Finals, so Dallas definitely has a tall task ahead of them if they want to surpass the defending champions in a potential NBA Finals rematch.
Kidd clarifies what he meant by calling Brown the Celtics’ best player
There will inevitably be a lot of storylines heading into a potential NBA Finals rematch, but one of them will certainly be the question of who the Celtics’ best player is. During last season’s NBA Finals, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said that Jaylen Brown was Boston’s best player at the time, as Brown had just come off of winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
This statement by Kidd seemed to trigger many Celtics fans, as many Boston fans have long coined Jayson Tatum as the Celtics’ best player over the last few seasons.
Tatum may be equally as talented as Brown, but it’s objectively true that Brown was more of a weapon for Boston in the latter half of the Celtics’ playoff run last season, as he played better on both sides of the ball against both Indiana and Dallas.
With that being said, Kidd cleared the air on his statement from last season recently in an interview with NBC Sports Boston, as the Mavericks head coach clarified that he wasn’t trying to start any sort of rift between Brown and Tatum by saying Brown was Boston’s best player.
Jason Kidd clarifies why he called Jaylen Brown the Celtics' best player during the NBA Finals🗣️
Via @NBCSAuthentic
Check out the full interview: https://t.co/wfEKgNJ1ED 🎧 pic.twitter.com/1hPoysdLgP
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) August 20, 2024
Kidd explained that Celtics guard Jrue Holiday even agreed with his statement during last season’s Finals, as Kidd’s statement was intended to be more of a tip-of-the-cap to Brown than it was a knock against Tatum.
While the Celtics ultimately withstood any outside noise last season to become NBA Champions, perhaps Kidd prompted a bigger discussion in Boston and NBA circles by suggesting Brown is better than Tatum, as this opinion wasn’t held by many fans or analysts until last season’s NBA Playoffs.
Nonetheless, it’s good to see Kidd maintain good PR by clarifying his statement, and hopefully, he can lead the Mavericks back to the mountaintop so they can get their crack at revenge against Boston in a potential NBA Finals rematch next summer.
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