Why the simmering Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum feud is good for the NBA -- and the 76ers-Celtics rivalry — SkimNews
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- Jayson Tatum insists there is no feud with Jaylen Brown — "This ain't no f---in' Shaq and Kobe, there's no beef" — while saying the Nov. 10 season opener in Philadelphia is basketball, not a boxing match, and that drama "gets clicks and views" isn't his thing.
- Jaylen Brown shot back that it is "no beef" but "a little lamb chop and some gravy," telling Tatum to "stay ready at all times" and praising his "great PR team."
- Summer of Jayson, Tatum's documentary, carried his account that he called and texted Brown on trade day, learning the news in Las Vegas from Celtics player development coach God Shammgod Jr. — "You traded him down the street?" — while Brown reportedly said the two had not spoken.
- Tatum pointed at the media, saying reporters "can push or speculate" on the feud "rightfully so, that's y'all's job," after Brown posted a blue-cap emoji in the comments of his trade video.
- Joe Mazzulla said he and the Celtics organization want to "move forward" and deflected by citing the "great, great moments" Brown and Tatum shared and the "great things" they did together.
- 76ers upset the Celtics in the first round of last year's playoffs, and the source links that result to an explosive chain of events in Boston that ended with Brown being traded "down the road" and LeBron James joining him shortly after.
- Joel Embiid said eight years ago that it is "not really a rivalry" when the Celtics always kick the Sixers' backsides, a line the source cites to show how one-sided the franchises' history and hostility has been.
Why it matters: For Boston and Philadelphia, the Nov. 10 meeting in Philadelphia now carries a personal subplot on top of an already one-sided rivalry. Tatum's claim that he called and texted Brown the day of the trade contradicts Brown's reported account that they had not spoken, and both stars keep feeding the storyline through documentaries and social media.
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