Joe Mazzulla defends Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown against an 'unfair' narrative regarding their performance with the Boston Celtics. The duo is entering their ninth playoff appearance together, having achieved significant success over the years.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
Joe Mazzulla Attacks 'Unfair' Narrative Around Celtics' Superstar Duo originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
This is Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum's ninth year together with the Boston Celtics, and it's also their ninth straight playoff appearance together.
The Jays have dominated the NBA for nearly a decade, leading the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals, two NBA Finals and a championship together. Now, they're about to see if they have another title up their sleeve.
Despite having so much success together, fans and media have constantly nitpicked them over the years, trying to stir up drama between the two and taking their generational run for granted.
After coaching them for the last four years and seeing their greatness up close, Joe Mazzulla is tired of it.
"You don't see a lot of teammates go through good & bad together for such a long period of time. I don't think enough is highlighted on the positives," Mazzulla told reporters on Wednesday. "It's unfair that they're grouped together so much."
Joe Mazzulla criticized the narrative as 'unfair' and defended the accomplishments of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have played together for nine years on the Boston Celtics.
They have led the Celtics to five Eastern Conference Finals, two NBA Finals, and one championship.
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It's true that Brown and Tatum are often compared to each other and treated as an entity rather than as individuals. That finally changed a bit this year, however, when Tatum missed most of the season with an Achilles injury and Brown stepped up with an MVP-caliber season in his absence.
While they may not need each other, there's no question that they both make each other better. They're incredible players in their own right and don't get enough credit for that, but Boston needs them both if it wants to go all the way this year.