Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum in Deep Waters as Private Chat With Celtics Star, Who Wanted to Quit Boston, Emerges

“At the end of the day, it was always the same thing,” Pritchard said. “I wanted to be able to play and be able to play every game. And sweat out there. And really feel like I’m contributing. Fortunately enough, on this team, this year, I feel like I have a role to help the team win.” Can we start a petition for this to be the most exciting playoffs ever? Surprisingly, the #1 seed Cavs are facing the #4 seed Pacers in the most one-sided series so far, where the Pacers just blew the Cavs out of the water for a 3-1 lead. Just second in the list is the Celtics-Knicks, where the Knicks have the opportunity to give Boston the same fate as Cleveland. But the usual suspects aren’t running the show. ESPN analysts believe that others are overshadowing the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum pair.

“In the series, Jaylen Brown is shooting 21% on threes still, and Tatum is overall still shooting 32% and 35% on threes. They are not out of their slumps,” said Brian Windhorst on his pod. For Brown to be averaging just 21 points a game while also shooting 21% from deep just gives him a fantastic chance at Blackjack. In the NBA conf. semifinals, it’s something that has to improve. He’s just a victim of his success.

Can the same be said about Jayson Tatum? Absolutely. “You understand what comes with being that guy, right? I live a great life, I ain’t gonna lie. It’s a lot of, I make a lot of money, I take care of my family, I’ve been able to experience a lot of things. But you also have to accept what comes with that, right?” said JT after the game.

He got two double-doubles in the first two games, which in itself would’ve been an achievement. But the Celtics’ DNA hasn’t been on display, missing threes after threes. And Tatum is a part of that slump. He’s averaging 18/15/5.5 but shooting just 32% from the field and 35% from deep. So, what’s the cause? Is it the pressure of being the big dog? But he’s just playing his game, not worried about public opinion. That’s how he shines. “There are a lot of people that came before me that they criticize, and there’s gonna be people that come after me that they criticize. And, for me, it’s just, it’s a sense of joy that I play with, right?”

In Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum’s absence, there’s one man still gunning for a dub. Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard has taken this as an opportunity to show his worth. And showing his worth is exactly what he did. To come from Joe Mazzulla not even batting an eye, to bring their clutch performer of the year, Pritchard, has come a long way.

Payton Pritchard steals the show in Game 3 vs the Knicks

Do you know how much of a confidence boost a 23-pointer gives to a sixth man? Payton was living the dream- putting the “white men can’t jump” notion to bed. Unlike the rest of his comrades, he shot an even 50-50 from the field and deep, along with the 4 boards, 2 points, and a steal. He scored more points in Game 3 alone than the first two combined. All this does is put Coach Mazzulla in a state of relief, knowing the team can handle itself when the duo is having an off day.

“Peyton Pritchard was awesome. He had one of the great best playoff game of his career. Showed why he was a deserving six-man of the year winner,” said Windy on the pod. To come from wanting to leave the Celtics two years ago is a sheer display of character. And when Windy spoke of his locker room chat with Pritchard, neither could believe this day would ever come.

“Talk to him in the locker room after the game. I said, cause, his first time I actually talked to him face to face since he won the award. Congratulated him on winning the award and said, Man, what would you have said if I told you to? Cause two years ago, he didn’t, he wasn’t playing. Yeah. He literally wanted to be traded… But he’s like, I never would have believed that. He’s like, I just gotta, I just gotta keep focusing,” said Windy to Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon.

But for Payton, all he’s doing is earning out of his obsession, living in Beantown. “At the end of the day, it was always the same thing,” Pritchard said. “I wanted to be able to play and be able to play every game. And sweat out there. And really feel like I’m contributing. Fortunately enough, on this team, this year, I feel like I have a role to help the team win.” The Celtics don’t look likely to defend their championship yet, but he can go home with some consolation personally, winning the Sixth Man of the Year.

Oct 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) reacts after a shot during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Game 3 was a reminder- the Celtics are still the champions. Two slip-ups caused the Knicks to get two on the board. But Boston is out to hunt. They can only do so if Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum wake up for game 4 onwards. Which version of the duo will we be seeing tonight?

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