“Trying to separate you and your guy”- Shaquille O’Neal warns Jaylen Brown of mental games in hilarious "G-14 classification" exchange
Shaquille O'Neal had a funny way of putting things in perspective during his postgame chat with Jaylen Brown after the Boston Celtics wrapped up Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals with a 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. With the narrative of Brown as the best player in the Boston fold doing the rounds, Shaq had some sage advice for him.
Speaking to TNT after the game, Brown sat down with O'Neal and Matt Winer and a hilarious "G-14 classification" exchange followed.
Shaq: Do not get fixated on useless titles. … It ain’t time for all that right now. Do what you gotta do and get it done.
@MattWinerTV : That made sense to you?
Jaylen Brown: No.
Shaq: Let me break it down to you, they are trying to separate you and your guy.
O'Neal was referring to the comments made by Mavs head coach Jason Kidd who said Jaylen Brown is the best player on the Celtics team, causing an uproar, especially with Jayson Tatum in tow. Tatum said the mind games were a way to "drive a wedge" between the two stars.
"You know, people try to drive a wedge in between us. I guess it's a smart thing to do or try to do. But we've been in this position for many of years of guys trying to divide us and say one of us should be traded or one's better than the other. It's not our first time at the rodeo," Tatum said (via Sports Illustrated).
Jaylen Brown responds to Jason Kidd calling him the Boston Celtics' "best player"
Jason Kidd's comments had the media, analysts, and fans wondering whether the Dallas head coach was trying to influence how both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum would perform in Game 2 for the Celtics. On his part, Brown kept it simple with his comment when asked about Kidd's two cents on the ECF MVP.
"I don't have no reaction. It's a team game, we're trying to focus on that. Everybody has their own opinions. We've been just extremely focused on what our roles and our jobs are. We've all had to sacrifice. Jayson's had to do that at the highest of levels, right? And I respect him and tip [my] cap for it. But right now, at this point, it's whatever it takes to win and we can't let any outside interpretations get in between that," Brown said (via Justin Turpin's X handle).
By the looks of it, neither Jaylen Brown nor Jayson Tatum were fazed by the chatter leading up to Game 2 as both stars proved to be a force once again. Brown ended with 21 points and seven assists, while Tatum had 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics gained a strong 2-0 lead. The action shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.