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PHILADELPHIA – The last time Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared the floor was in late April, in Game 6 of the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Neither knew it then, but that lackluster game, a Philadelphia 76ers blowout, became their last as teammates. Tatum missed the subsequent Game 7 with a leg injury, and Brown was stunningly traded just a few months later to the very Northeast rival that ended their nine-year run as teammates.
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Four months later, Brown turned a cold shoulder to Tatum moments before tip-off of Tuesday’s highly-anticipated game between the 76ers and the Celtics.
With cameras and reporters flooding Xfinity Mobile Arena, the two stars never spoke or embraced, at least not publicly. Tatum punted Brown-related questions postgame, and Brown denied any ill intent behind the viral pregame exchange.
“To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention,” Brown said.
“No headlines about anything like that,” Tatum said when pressed on the interaction. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for the jump ball, go out there and compete, have some fun, and try to get a win.”
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Still, despite Tatum’s best efforts to downplay the storyline, the coverage leading up to Tuesday’s game between the 76ers and the Celtics centered on a now-fractured, highly publicized relationship between two superstars, one that has been analyzed and debated for nearly a decade. So many media members attended the game that Tatum said it felt like an NBA Finals game — and joked he didn’t expect to see most of us in Toronto the next day.
As someone who has covered dozens of Celtics playoff games, I can say the atmosphere felt heightened. The Celtics bench rose to its feet after nearly every play. Payton Pritchard and Paul George let out screams after back-to-back 3-pointers. Tatum jumped up emphatically and clenched his fist when Neemias Queta secured a putback over Joel Embiid.
The game pitted the East’s top two teams against each other, but more than anything, it was billed as a showdown between two former teammates turned foes. Brown struggled: he finished with a game-worst -27, four turnovers, four fouls, and a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/jayson-tatum-jaylen-brown-myth-155323072.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-11 15:53:00
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