What Tatum and Brown told each other during the hug after the Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Shortly after the final buzzer sounded in the Boston Celtics’ thrilling Game 3 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared a long embrace at halfcourt.
The star duo led the way in a 106-99 road victory that put the C’s one win away from an NBA championship. They took a moment to celebrate the hard-fought win, but even with a 3-0 series lead, they know better than to get complacent.
Tatum revealed what he and Brown discussed, and it’s clear they have the same mentality heading into Friday’s Game 4.
“Just showing the emotions of the game. Two guys that were excited and tired after the game,” Tatum said of his interaction with Brown. “We don’t necessarily say ‘one more’ or anything like that, we just say ‘however long it takes.’ No one is relaxed, no one is satisfied.
“But you know, I just told him at that moment that I was proud of him and he said the same thing, and that we have to keep fighting. We can’t relax. That was basically the conversation.”
No NBA team has ever come back from 3-0 in a playoff series. Still, the C’s are smart to adopt the ‘job isn’t done yet’ mentality, with one win separating them from Banner 18.
Brown acknowledged the excitement of having one win, but he also echoed Tatum’s sentiments.
“It’s amazing. I mean, I don’t really have words. It doesn’t even feel real right now and I’m just trying to stay in the moment,” Brown said. “It feels great to be 3-0 up in the series, but the job isn’t done yet.”
Tatum and Brown combined for 61 of Boston’s 106 points in Game 3. After Tatum took over with 20 points in the first half, Brown went off for 15 in the third quarter. They finished with 31 and 30 respectively.
The biggest play of the night was Brown drawing a blocking foul on Luka Doncic, forcing the Mavs star out of the game with 4:12 to go. Doncic fouled out with Dallas trailing by three after erasing Boston’s 21-point lead. With Doncic watching from the bench, the C’s stayed on top the rest of the way.
The Celtics will look to complete the sweep, which would mark only the 10th sweep in Finals history, on Friday in Dallas. Tip-off for the matchup is set for 8:30 PM ET.
