The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have done nothing but produce for the Boston Celtics since they teamed up in 2017. Three Eastern Conference finals appearances, multiple all-star selections and now a trip to the NBA Finals, all in a five-year stretch.
Despite that, a cloud of doubt has hung over their heads over the past couple of seasons. Many have openly wondered if the talented young duo had what it took to lead a team to an NBA Finals victory, with some even calling for the Celtics to break them up. Through all of that, the duo has openly stated their desire to stay together, and found a way to make it work. But how?
"Because we want to. We want to win by any means," Tatum told ESPN's Malika Andrews. "I think (we're) two young guys that are ultra-competitive, passionate about what we do and just want to win by any means necessary. And everyone in that locker room knows it.
"We're not perfect. (I'm) 24, he's 25. I know everyone expects everything to happen just like that, but it takes time. We're two of the hardest working guys, we've got the trust of our teammates to lead this group and that's what we've been trying to do."
Now that the Celtics have found themselves in the NBA Finals, it seems silly to consider that they would split up the duo that was as big a piece of them getting their as any, but Tatum admits that the relationship took work. Pointing to their loss against the New York Knicks in January.
It's impossible not to hear the noise. Social media, your phone, TV, so we hear all those things," Tatum said. "We just got closer. We had talks, we started watching film together. Things we needed to do better to help each other out and to help the team out... We both care about each other and about the team, and just about winning."
Those changes worked for Boston, as since that game, the Celtics put together the NBA's best record, in large part to their league-best defense. Now, as they find themselves in the NBA Finals, the duo can officially put those losing-related stresses on the back burner.
Tipoff for Game 4 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET from TD Garden.
