Jason Kidd knows very well how the NBA and its media universe work. So, by explaining that Jaylen Brown is the Celtics' best player, he generated tons of questions ahead of Game 2 of the Finals.
” I do not know “ replied the Boston guard/wingeron the opposing coach's goal. “But we have been extremely focused on our roles and our missions. We all had to make sacrifices. Jayson had to do it at the highest level, it's true, I respect him and I take my hat off to him for that. »
But for him, “we cannot let external interpretations get in our way.”
Same logic with Jayson Tatum, criticized since the start of the playoffs but who clearly remained the defensive priority of the Mavericks in Game 1, since they systematically sent help on his penetrations.
“Again, people wouldn't be talking about me if I wasn't one of the best players in the league”
“As I said, over time you learn to manage things”he explains. “There was a point in my career where things affected me or bothered me, hearing people talk about me on television. But you have to understand that you shouldn't make it a personal matter. People have a job to do. We must respect it. They have to go on television and give their analysis of the things they see and watch, and that's fair. You understand what the media has done for basketball and how we have all benefited from it. Again, people wouldn't be talking about me if I wasn't one of the best players in the league. I'm not the only player they've talked about and I won't be the last. So I understand that side of things. »
For Joe Mazzulla, the important thing is that the “Jay's” concentrate on themselves and the team. By avoiding being parasitized by external opinions on any rivalry within the two locomotives of the group.
“We must focus on the truth”reacted the coach. “At the end of the day, no one knows her because they're not in the locker room…And at the end of the day, what happens in our locker room, the way we communicate with each other, the way we let’s build relationships with each other and how we treat each other on and off the field, that’s the most important thing.”
Surprisingly, it was the experienced Jrue Holiday who put his foot in the dish, explaining that Jason Kidd “did not lie” and that the charge of Jaylen Brown, both offensively and defensively, was impressive.
