Even if he may agree that fellow Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum’s dunk on LeBron James was the better of the two, Jaylen Brown’s came in a win.
Tatum, who famously baptized the King in a Game 7 loss in the 2018 NBA Finals, was understandably excited about the jam at the time. And while it came in the loss, it was some of the first tangible evidence of what the young wing might become.
On Martin Luther King Day, Jaylen Brown delivered the second round of that evidence, and this time it was conclusive, Boston coming away with the win in the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams this season.
“That was a hell of a play by Jaylen,” Jayson Tatum said post-game (via MassLive’s John Karalis).
“He’s so gifted, especially athletically,” added the Duke product.
How did the man himself feel after posterizing one of the greatest to play the game? “I ain’t gonna lie, it was pretty nice, it was pretty awesome” offered Brown.
“It surprised me,” Tatum admitted. “I didn’t think he was going to dunk it, especially that vertical.”
The Cal-Berkeley product would get just enough lift after clearing a runway to get over and above James on the play, throwing down the dunk with authority and earning a technical foul for his enthusiasm about it.
The tech ultimately mattered less than the energy it sparked from Boston, who would go on to win handily after Los Angeles had threatened to get back into the game a few times.
At the time Tatum boomed LeBron, it was all the then-rookie could think about. “It’s my most memorable play ever … It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in basketball,” explained the Missouri native at the time (courtesy of NBC Sports Boston).
An older, more seasoned Brown might feel the same, but instead frames it with a certain challenge built-in for when the team next faces the Lakers on Feb. 23rd at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
“Just to be out there playing against one of the best players ever to play is an honor,” Brown offered. “So I always like that matchup. It always gives me a little extra boost.”
That’s good, because they’ll likely need it to win the rematch on the road.
For head coach Brad Stevens, the focus is now squarely trained on the Memphis Grizzlies, refusing to get too excited about the win with many games in close proximity still filling the pre-All-Star calendar.
His opinion of the dunk?
Per team reporter Marc D’Amico, “I love a good extra pass as much as a good dunk, so I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”
Fair enough. But what about LeBron?
“It’s not the first time I’ve been dunked on, might not be the last time I get dunked on, but Jaylen’s been playing extremely well this year, and that was a good play,” noted the 15-time All-Star per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
No argument on any of the above from these parts.