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By Aman Sharma
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DeMarcus Cousins called Jayson Tatum’s pregame approach to Jaylen Brown performative after the Boston Celtics star tried to greet his ex-teammate before facing the Philadelphia 76ers.
The snub unfolded in Brown’s first matchup with Boston since his trade to Philadelphia, a 123-101 Celtics win that lifted them to 9-2 and the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Cousins, speaking on “Run It Back,” argued Brown’s own comments had settled where the two stand. Tatum patted Brown’s shoulder and gave his chest a thump before tipoff. Brown never acknowledged it.
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His reasoning was blunt.
“I feel like Jaylen Brown, with the words that he said, he’s kind of made it clear, like, we’re not cool. There’s nothing to really talk about. We’re not cool,” Cousins said.
“So, to me, it was a bit performative. It was almost like, let me be the good guy in the spotlight while I can make him look like the bad guy in the spotlight.”
Then came a question.
“At the end of the day, if you can’t have a conversation in private, why have an interaction in public?” he asked.
Tatum wouldn’t expand on it postgame.
“No headlines about anything like that,” he said. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for jump ball, go out there, compete, have some fun and try to get a win.”
Brown was just as brief.
“I’m just focused on doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said. “Everything else was just, to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention, but credit to Jayson; he played well tonight.”
The box score favored Tatum, who finished with 21 points. Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, had foul trouble early and managed 13 points with four turnovers.
Paul George, sent to Boston in the Brown deal after two years in Philadelphia, poured in 36 points against his old club. His fourth 3-pointer made it 100-82 as Boston won for the ninth time in its last 10.
The two stars won a championship side by side in Boston before things went cold between them. Brown insisted last month that he and Tatum had “no beef.”
At 9-3, Philadelphia trails Boston by a half-game in the standings, so the next Brown-Tatum meeting will carry seeding weight along with the cold shoulder.
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