All-Star

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Marc D'Amico

Sunday night couldn’t have gone much better for The Jays at the 73rd NBA All-Star game.

Not only did their Eastern Conference team win 211-186 while setting a new scoring record, but one of them also challenged for the game’s MVP award, each of them scored 20-plus points, and Tatum checked off a bucket-list item by meeting Larry Bird.

One year after Tatum won the All-Star game MVP award with a record of 55 points, it was Brown’s turn to challenge for the award. He finished second on the East in scoring with 36 points, which trailed only MVP winner Damian Lillard’s 39 on the team. Brown’s effort marked the second consecutive year in which he’s scored at least 35 points during the All-Star game.

Tatum’s night was a bit quieter, to his admission. He played only 21-plus minutes, with only about eight of them coming during the second half while scoring 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

“It was cool to take a back seat this year and kinda chill, and get to enjoy the show a little bit,” he told the media after the contest.

That being said, Tatum did initiate what eventually became the highest-scoring performance in All-Star game history by the East. He was the man who scored the first points of the night by either team. He dropped in a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the right corner just 21 seconds into the contest off a dish from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Tatum swished the shot home despite the fact that he has only attempted 15 shots from that area of the court all season long for Boston.

Tatum started the game alongside Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Tyrese Haliburton, and Bam Adebayo, but he was soon afforded the opportunity to share the court with his true teammate, Brown. Such an opportunity didn’t exist last year, as Tatum and Brown were on opposing teams under the captain-chosen roster rules. This year, as the game returned to an East-vs-West format, they were teammates.

Brown checked into the game to join Tatum with 6:00 left in the first quarter. The duo went on to share the court for a total of seven minutes and one second of the game from there on out.

There were some fun moments during those shared minutes, such as Brown assisting on Tatum’s 3-pointer late in the second quarter, and Brown grabbing an offensive rebound midway through the third quarter and kicking out to Tatum for another 3-point attempt. Perhaps their top overlapping moment, however, came late in the first quarter, when they weren’t on the court together.

Tatum agreed to pop a headset on from the bench at the end of the first quarter to chop it up with the TNT crew that was calling the game. He put the headset on with 2:22 left in the quarter and was on the call for exactly one minute of game action. During that short period of time, Brown managed to score five points by dropping in a driving layup in transition and also canning a 3-pointer. Tatum was rooting for him the whole way through, and each player made it clear after the game that they were happy to be wearing the same jersey this time around.

“It was cool being on the same team as JT this time,” Brown said. “We got the win, and we had fun.”

Added Tatum, “It's much better being on the same team as JB. It’s what I’m used to. I mean we’ve competed against each other in practice for seven years now, so kinda tired of doing that.”

Tatum also got to take in the show as Brown went off during the second half. Brown scored 11 points during the third quarter and 13 during the fourth quarter to make a late run at the game’s MVP award. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough to catch up to Lillard or Indiana’s hometown star, Haliburton, who finished second in MVP voting after logging 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

The other highlight of the night for the Celtics came during pregame when Tatum got his first opportunity to meet Bird in a one-on-one setting. The brief meeting occurred shortly before tip-off when Tatum and Celtics Vice President of Communications Taylor Kielpinski-Rogers found Bird along the sideline. Needless to say, the moment is one that will stick with Tatum forever.

“I never met Larry Bird. I’ve never been in the same room as him. As crazy as that sounds, it’s never worked out,” Tatum said. “So Taylor, our PR girl, saw him before (the game) sitting on the sideline and she grabbed me and was like, ‘He’s sitting over there.’ And I got a chance to go meet him and tell him how much of an honor it was to meet him, and he told me he was looking forward to meeting me. So that was crazy to hear him say that.”

From a Celtics perspective, that meeting was an icing-on-the-cake moment for this All-Star game. Tatum and Brown got the win together, Brown showed out and got into the MVP conversation, and two of the greatest wings in Celtics history shook hands for the very first time. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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Brown Contends for MVP & Tatum Meets Bird at Perfect All-Star night for C's

Taylor Snow

It’s that time of year again to start filling out your NBA All-Star ballots, and we’re here to tell you why your Eastern Conference section should be marked entirely in Green.

The league tipped off its fan-voting campaign Tuesday morning, which will lead up to the 73rd annual All-Star Game on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis. Simultaneously, the Celtics’ marketing team launched their own campaign to send all five of their starters to Indy which, as optimistic as it sounds, is an entirely valid proposition.

Boston’s rotation of Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White has undoubtedly been the most lethal starting five in the league, boasting a 14-1 record together. When they’re all on the floor, those five guys have also recorded a net rating of plus-19.6, which is the best mark in the league among all five-man rotations that have logged at least 250 minutes.

Individually, they’ve each stood out in their own way to make an All-Star case, which we’ve laid out in detail below.

Adding two proven scorers in Porzingis and Holiday into the starting rotation has balanced Boston’s scoring attack, meaning its other stars have had to sacrifice some of their shooting volume in order to maximize the lineup’s potential. Brown has been at the forefront of accepting such a sacrifice. However, while his scoring has dipped slightly as a result, his game has only grown stronger and he should be in line to make his third career All-Star appearance.

Brown is averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists (career-high), and 1.2 steals (career-high) per game. He’s also shooting 47.7 percent from the field, including 34.2 percent from 3-point range. However, his traditional stats don’t tell the whole story of his impact, as the eye test has shown, especially on the defensive end.

JB has been vocal about making a push for the All-Defensive team this season, and he’s backed it up by being one of the most efficient shot-defenders in the league. His defensive field-goal percentage of 40.9 percent is by far the best of his career, and his defensive field-goal expected output is at minus-6.2 percent, which is the best mark among any Eastern Conference wing.

On the topic of defense, Jrue Holiday has been Boston’s anchor on that end and is one of the key reasons why it owns the best team defensive rating in the East at 109.2. Holiday’s impact, much like Brown’s, has been defined less by the numbers and more by the responsibility that he has taken on in guarding the opposition’s best scorers regardless of position.

Holiday, also seeking his third All-Star nod, has been a jack-of-all-trades on the offensive end; he’s capable of stepping into either a scoring or a playmaking role whenever needed. He’s averaging 12.3 points, a career-high 6.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 39.2 percent from deep, and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t taken much time to find his flow within Boston’s offense and is having by far the most efficient season of his career. The 7-foot-3 big man is averaging 18.9 points per game despite attempting just 12.2 field goals per game, giving him a shooting clip of 52.4 percent from the field. He’s also shooting 65.9 percent from 2-point range, which is exactly 10 percentage points higher than the career-high he set last season (55.9 percent).

Porzingis has been by far the most efficient post scorer in the East among players with at least one such attempt per game, averaging 1.38 points per possession. His teammate, Tatum, is in second place at 1.22 PPP.

KP has also provided a strong post presence on the defensive end, where he’s averaging 1.6 blocks per game.

Put all that together, and he’s making a very strong case for his second All-Star bid.

Tatum should be an All-Star shoo-in for the fifth consecutive year and should also once again be in line to be named a starter.

Despite Boston’s major additions, Tatum’s stats haven’t taken much of a hit. He’s averaging 27.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, while shooting career-bests of 48.3 percent from the field and 58.5 percent from 2-point range.

The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month is one of three players leaguewide averaging at least 27 points and eight rebounds, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid.

Taking into account that he is the best player on the best team in the league should make JT an automatic selection as an All-Star starter.

If there’s an unsung hero for this team, it’s Derrick White. And opposing coaches have started to take notice as they have begun to comment consistently on how underrated he is due to his unique size and versatility.

So far this season, White has averaged 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from 3-point range, and 88.7 percent from the free-throw line. Every one of those numbers is a career-high except for one: his scoring average is 0.1 PPG lower than his career-best mark of 15.4.

The 2022-23 All-Defense selectee has continued his success on that end of the court as the only guard in the league averaging at least one steal and one block per game.

White is the lone player on this list without a prior All-Star selection, but that should no longer be the case come February.

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An All-Star Case for All 5 Celtics Starters

bosscrocker

Vote now https://on.nba.com/470c2Pq at to send Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.

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Send Celtics Starting Five to the NBA All-Star Game

Even when they’re not on the same team, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are still the best duo in the NBA.

The Jays shined the brightest of all participants in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, combining for 90 points, 24 rebounds, and 11 assists while facing off on opposite sides of the court in Salt Lake City.

The All-Star teams were chosen playground style, just as they have been in the past few years. But this time, the captains made their selections just minutes before tip-off.

East Captain Giannis Antetokounmpo (coached by Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics' staff) made what would wind up being the smartest decision of the night, selecting Jayson Tatum with his first overall pick out of the starter pool. West Captain LeBron James had the steal of the night, choosing Jaylen Brown with his second pick among reserve players.

Both of those selections paid off, as the Celtics wings would turn in the best individual performances for their respective teams.

In fact, Tatum produced arguably the best effort in All-Star Game history, pouring in an All-Star record 55 points, corralling a team-high 10 rebounds, and dishing out six assists in 35 minutes to help lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 victory.

Brown, in his first game back from a facial fracture, masked up and turned up for a team-high 35 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, along with five assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench.

Heading into Sunday night, no Celtics player had ever reached 30 points in an All-Star Game. The Jays both surpassed that mark with ease.

When it came to naming the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP, there was no debate. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed Jayson Tatum the hardware, while 5-year-old Jayson Tatum Jr. (aka “Deuce”), stood by his father with pride.

“It means the world when you think of all the legends and great players that have played in this game,” Tatum said in his postgame interview with TNT’s Ernie Johnson after breaking the record. “And in all honesty, records are meant to be broken. So I’ll own it for as long as I can, but I’m certain somebody will come along in a couple of years and try to break it.”

However, there is one record that Tatum set Sunday night that likely won’t be broken anytime soon. He’s now the only player in NBA history with a 50-point game in a regular-season game, a playoff game, and an All-Star game. He also has the only 50-point effort play-in game history.

Tatum finished the contest shooting 22-31 from the field, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range. His 10 makes from beyond the arc were the second-most in All-Star Game history behind Steph Curry’s 16 from last year’s showcase.

Tatum’s lone free-throw make (there were only four attempts in the entire game) happened to be the record-breaking 53rd point, which pushed him past Anthony Davis’ mark of 52 points set in 2017. He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s Eastern Conference record of 42 points before the third quarter ended.

Brown finished second behind Tatum in field-goal makes with a 16-of-27 effort from the field, including 13-of-15 from inside the 3-point arc. Not bad for a guy in his first game back after suffering a friendly-fire facial fracture on Feb. 8.

Donning a black mask, Brown soared through the air like a superhero, slamming one dunk after another and hitting several smooth mid-range shots.

Toward the end of the third quarter, Brown instigated what would turn out to be the best back-and-forth battle of the night when he challenged Tatum to a one-on-one duel.

With a little more than a minute left on the clock, Brown went at his Celtics teammate and knocked down a fadeaway jumper over Tatum’s outstretched hand. JT tried to return the favor on his next trip up-court, but Brown stripped his dribble, sending the ball out of bounds.

Brown then went to work on Tatum once again, this time sinking a deep, step-back triple before taunting his Celtics teammate with a ‘too-small’ gesture. Tatum wasn’t having any of that, so he knocked down a step-back triple of his own during Team Giannis’ next possession.

Brown had the ball for the final shot for one last go at Tatum. The other eight players knew to get out of the way, so they stepped over toward the sideline to watch the show. JB went into his bag of dribbling tricks, hitting JT with crossovers and hesitation moves on his way to the basket. However, Brown got a little too carried away, because he wound up dribbling out the clock to a clapping Tatum’s delight.

“We were just trying to be competitive a little bit,” Tatum said of his battle with Brown. “Trying to stay safe, but have some fun with it. Show JB he can’t score on me.”

JB may not have scored on JT on that last possession, but the two of them were scoring on everyone else all night long. They turned two of the best all-around efforts in All-Star Game history while showing once again why they are the best duo in the league.

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JT Sets All-Star Scoring Record, Masked JB Logs 35-14-5

Jayson Tatum fell in the first round on Saturday night’s Starry 3-Point Contest as part of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City.

The Celtics wing was the very first competitor of the night and made 16 out of 27 attempts for a total of 20 points, tying him with Utah’s Lauri Markkanen for fourth out of the eight participants.

Only the top three finishers from the first round – Indiana backcourt mates Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, and Portland’s Damian Lillard – moved onto the finals, where Lillard was crowned champion.

Tatum previously competed in the 2021 3-point contest, where he made it to the finals before losing to Steph Curry. In that contest, he saved his money ball rack (five balls worth two points apiece) for last. However, he switched it up this time by placing the money ball rack first, and it wound up costing him.

JT made his very first shot of the competition from the left corner, but then missed the remaining four money balls on that rack. He rebounded on the second rack making four of five, including the money ball. He then missed his first of two “Starry” balls worth three points from the deep-left wing, made two of five from the top of the arc, and then missed the second “Starry” ball, as well. But he finished off the round strong, making nine of his last 10 shots from the right side of the court, including a perfect 5-for-5 from the corner.

Tatum and Markkanen were on pace for a tiebreaking shootout until Lillard, the last shooter of the first round, eliminated them both with a score of 26.

Tatum earned his way into the competition by making 183 triples through the first 57 games, placing him sixth overall in the NBA. He has 25 games left to beat his personal best of 230, which he set last season, and Isaiah Thomas' franchise record of 245, which was set in 2016-17.

Although Tatum didn't meet his goal of winning the contest, he still cherishes every moment of the weekend's festivities.

“I never take it for granted,” the four-time All-Star said ahead of the competition. “All-Star Weekend is an honor to be a part of. It’s something that you only can dream about as a kid. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of it every year since I’ve been in the league and it’s something I really look forward to.”

Now that Tatum has warmed up his shooting hand, he’s ready for the main event Sunday night. He’ll join teammate and two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown, Celtics’ newly appointed full-time head coach Joe Mazzulla and the rest of Boston’s staff on the court for the 72nd annual All-Star Game, which is set to start at 8 p.m. on TNT.

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Tatum Falls in 1st Round of 3-Point Contest

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Jayson Tatum can’t believe the history he was a part of Sunday night in Cleveland at the 71st NBA All-Star game.

Forget what happened between the lines during Team LeBron’s thrilling 163-160 victory over Tatum’s Team Durant. Being on hand for what happened outside the lines was what Tatum referenced multiple times as a dream-like experience.

The NBA used halftime of Sunday’s All-Star game to honor the 75 greatest players in NBA history, announcing them one-by-one during a historic, 25-minute celebration at center court. At the end of the ceremony, 46 of the 61 living members of the 75th Anniversary Team were standing together at midcourt as Tatum, his teammates and an arena full of basketball lovers showered the legends with roaring applause.

“Watching that was incredible,” Tatum said after the game. “Some people I’d never heard of; most of them I have. Just seeing the majority of those guys in one building… it was a dream come true to see all those people.”

That ceremony and the ancillary game was the crescendo of the NBA’s celebration of its 75th season. It brought together stars of the past, present and future like never before.

Yes, the league put together a similar celebration back in 1997, but so much history has been written into the NBA’s legacy since. Adding those 25 years of memories and basketball greatness made this weekend one of a kind, and one which delivered multiple “pinch me” moments to Tatum prior to the arrival of Sunday night's game.

One such moment arrived for the now three-time All-Star and two-time All-Star starter earlier in the day on Sunday, and another arrived Saturday.

Tatum was in the building before the game on Sunday to have his photos taken, which just so happened to be at the same time as many of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team members were in getting their photos taken as well. Tatum wound up running into Celtics legend Kevin McHale. The next thing they knew, a whole crew of Celtics legends had gathered, including Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Robert Parish.

“They were doing their pictures upstairs, and it was the same time we were taking ours,” Tatum recalled. “We just happened to be right there. I was talking to Kevin McHale, then Paul came over, and then KG came over, and [then Parish, and we took a picture].”

That picture, as Tatum revealed, will be going up on his wall in the very near future.

“That was incredible. I kinda felt like I didn’t even belong in that picture, because of all that they’ve accomplished and what they mean to the game, and especially to the Celtics,” he said. Tatum soon added, “Just being in that picture with them – that was pretty special. I’ll frame it and I’ll always remember it.”

Later in the night, another photo would be taken that would fall into the ‘dream’ category for the 23-year-old star. It’s one that was taken alongside a current teammate in Grant Williams, and two of Tatum’s superstar idols: Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade. The photo was posted to social media by Tatum, Williams and Wade and went viral. Fans were given a peak into the significance of the moment Sunday night thanks to Wade being a member of TNT’s broadcast team for the All-Star game.

Tatum joined the broadcast team from the bench for a live interview via a headset toward the end of the second quarter. During that interview, Wade asked what that moment and that conversation with Iverson and Wade meant to him.

“That’s something you dream about,” Tatum said with a smile. “Sitting there chopping it up with you and A.I., two guys I looked up to as a kid growing up. I had a chance to play against you and now to get a relationship with A.I., man… that’s what you dream about as a kid and that’s what this is all about.”

Really, that is what this particular All-Star weekend was all about.

Forget about Tatum’s eight points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals during the game, because this weekend wasn’t about the actual game that was played. Instead, it was about the celebration of the history of the game and the league as a whole.

Tatum was a part of that celebration in Cleveland. He logged a unique and accidental moment with a handful of Celtics greats that will hang on his wall for years to come. He had a special conversation with Iverson and Wade, during which Iverson praised his game. Then, on Sunday, he shared the court with 46 of the greatest basketball players to ever live.

That’s history – history to which Tatum will surely build upon for years to come.

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Tatum Logs Weekend of Dream-Like Moments at All-Star

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Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were two of the brightest stars to shine during the 70th NBA All-Star game Sunday night in Atlanta.

The Boston Celtics’ duo combined for 43 points on 17-of-28 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, seven assists and six steals on the night. Their point total stands as the second-most in the game among regular-season teammates, trailing only the 45 combined points scored by Kyrie Irving and James Harden of the Nets.

Brown’s night may have been the most enjoyable of any player who participated in the game. Not only did he excel statistically while playing in his first All-Star game, but he also got the win as a member of Team LeBron while playing in his hometown of Atlanta and in front of his closest family members.

The 24-year-old wing scored 22 points on the night, including a four-point play during the early moments of the fourth quarter that led to a memory that will last a lifetime for him and his family.

“I got fouled on the 3 and my brother came and picked me up, and I know that’s something my family – that’s a moment right there we’re never going to forget,” Brown said with a big smile. “When a family member falls down, you gotta be there to pick him up. My brother ran on the court and picked me up.”

Tatum wasn’t the man to pick Brown up because he was Brown’s opponent for the first time during their professional careers. The two-time All-Star was a member of Team Durant, which lost the first three quarters and the game despite Tatum’s 21 points, seven assists and four steals. Team Durant outscored Team LeBron by seven points while Tatum was on the court, which gave him the only positive plus/minus rating on the entire team.

Despite the loss, Tatum was all smiles following the contest, which he said surpassed his expectations.

“Honestly, it was more fun than I thought it would be,” he said, alluding to the fact that the weekend’s environment was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had a blast.”

One of the reasons Tatum enjoyed himself so much was because he was able to share the court with his longtime friend from St. Louis, Bradley Beal. The duo started next to each other and played on the same team for the very first time. They were announced back-to-back during the starting lineup announcements.

“That was super cool,” Tatum said of being a part of the starting lineups. “I want to continue to do that. I want to start for the next X amount of years, so I’ve got a lot of work to do. But sharing that moment with Brad, everyone knows how much that meant to me.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Brown was busy soaking in the experience of being teammates with two of the greatest players to ever lace them up: LeBron James and Stephen Curry. There were multiple instances throughout the contest during which Brown was caught on camera laughing with and picking the brains of those two greats, which he spoke about following the game.

“When I got hot there, Steph was like the main person that was cheering me on,” Brown said, “and I shot one from the logo and it didn’t go in, but Steph said he liked it. So I was like, ‘Man, I thought I was you for a second,’ and he started laughing and stuff like that.”

Brown then spoke of his interactions with James, which sounded much more like a student-teacher interaction.

“I was talking to LeBron a lot on the bench and asking him questions, probably being annoying,” Brown joked. “But I’m learning something and trying to pick up some information and some knowledge.”

The other interactions that stood out for both Brown and Tatum were the moments during which they were matched up against each other. It happened twice while Brown had the ball in his hands, one of which led to a trip to the free-throw line after Tatum was whistled for a foul. The two teammates, who have pushed each other through the last four years to grow into All-Stars together, had varying recollections of that particular play.

“He fouled me when he was on me. We knew how that was going to go,” Brown said in jest.

Minutes later, Tatum relayed a slightly different perspective than that of his good friend and Celtics teammate.

“No, I didn’t,” Tatum said after being asked if he fouled Brown. “I was playing defense and then he got to the layup and I was about to move out the way, but we’re in Atlanta, so they gave him the foul.”

Those playful comments by Brown and Tatum are symbolic of how this night felt for them: fun, laid back, memorable. These two stars shined through on the NBA’s biggest exhibition stage while being surrounded by the top basketball talents in the world. The NBA’s 70th All-Star game was certainly a resounding and memorable success for Boston’s two foundational stars.

All‑Star