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News, Blog and GuidesWhile banter between teams is not new in the NBA Finals, there was one comment from the Mavericks coach that caused a stir in Boston. He says it isn’t so.
Paul RudderEnglish_ASUpdate: Jun 12th, 2024 19:40 EDT0
TIM HEITMANAFP
It’s not unheard of for coaches of teams in any sport to try to destabilize their opponent by what we can refer to as subtle means. Indeed, a comment here or a suggestion there can often cause tension in a dressing room where there was none. That said, the Mavericks coach has insisted that his recent comments about one of the Celtics’ stars were nothing more than an observation.
Jason Kidd pushes back on ‘mind games’ accusation
The Boston Celtics as you likely know are taking a 2-0 lead to Texas on Wednesday night. There, they will face a Dallas Mavericks that absolutely needs a win here and now if they are to avoid going 3-0 down in the NBA Finals, a deficit that no team in the league’s history has ever overturned. Needless to say, there have been all kinds of back and forth between the teams, not the least of which was a rather curious comment from Jason Kidd between Game 1 and 2.
“Everybody thought my comments [on Jaylen Brown being their best player] was mental warfare”Mavs head coach, Jason Kidd, clarifies himself with @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8 pic.twitter.com/DrGmhXLXp9
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 12, 2024
Speaking with the media, Kidd referred to the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown as the team’s “best player.” Now, while that may seem innocuous, it was certainly not received that way with both Brown and Tatum answering that very same day, saying they had “no reaction” to Kidd’s comment. There was also Boston’s center Al Horford who said “”Jason Kidd, man. I see what he’s doing,” before referring to the Mavs’ coach as “sneaky.” Apparently, all of them were convinced that Kidd was trying to divide the locker room, or as Tatum said, “drive a wedge between” the stars of the team. Yet, to hear Kidd tell it, that was not at all the case.
