In Sunday night’s 211-186 All-Star Game victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics each contributed to the Eastern Conference’s victory over the Western Conference.
Tatum and Brown, the dynamic duo that has guided Boston to an NBA-best 43-12 start to their 2023–24 season, were selected as All-Stars for the fifth and third time, respectively. amid contrast to the previous season, when the Celtics’ representatives were divided by LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo at the All-Star draft, Tatum and Brown came together for a flawless performance amid Indianapolis’ bright lights.
The JB-JT connect ☘️ pic.twitter.com/JU7HkY9LdZ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 19, 2024
Together, Tatum and Brown scored 56 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and provided six assists. Despite Brown’s impressive 36-point performance, Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks was named the All-Star MVP discourse. Most points by an All-Star squad was the foundation of a historic East showing led by Lillard and Brown’s backcourt offense.
An NBA record (previously 35) for the most 3-pointers made by a team in the history of the All-Star Game was broken by Brown’s fifth-place basket. The 27-year-old finished with a 6-of-12 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, five threes short of Lillard’s 11 made.
Despite failing to win the award for the defending All-Star Game MVP, Tatum, who was star struck after meeting Larry Bird during pregame warmups, scored 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting and added a block. But Karl Anthony-Towns, who scored a stealthy 50 points off the bench for the West, nearly equaled Tatum’s scoring total, which established a record with 55 points.
Even while the East-West matchup gives players a chance to enjoy being named the best in the NBA, Taum was once again forced to engage in the expected MVP small talk.
According to Golden State Warriors center Draymond Green, “I don’t think Jayson Tatum will win his first MVP until he wins his first championship,” as reported by TNT. “He’s being penalized for his early-career success with his team.” They don’t treat him with the respect he deserves because he lost both the Finals and the ECF. Additionally, I believe it’s unjust considering he’s been having a year akin to MVP.
In any case, the Celtics have bigger things in store.
After a disappointing playoff exit the previous season, Boston’s management office did everything within their power to rebuild the club. The evidence has been evident thus far, as the Celtics have only once lost to a team that is below.500, and very few opponents have shown themselves to be able to compete with them.
When Tatum and Brown play the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, they’ll continue exactly where they left off.