Boston Celtics: Philadelphia Eagles CB Darius Slay Perfectly Sums up the Difference Between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in 1 Tweet
Let’s get Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay in the NBA television booth. The four-time Pro-Bowler shows he’s more than just an NFL guy. Slay’s been all over the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, commenting on the series via social media.
He’s had some hot takes regarding the NBA Finals, including saying Stephen Curry is the best point guard ever. Slay also perfectly summed up the difference between Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Boston Celtics need Jayson Tatum to take charge in Game 5
The Celtics seemingly love a challenge. Just when it looks like they might take control of a series, they make things difficult for themselves. Against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, they snatched homecourt advantage away from the top-seeded Heat, only to let it slip away. It’s happened again in the NBA Finals.
After stealing Game 1 on the road against the favored Warriors, the Celtics won the next two and had a golden opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in front of their raucous crowd at TD Garden. Instead, turnovers consumed the Celtics. Tatum, the team’s most skilled player, was outclassed by Curry, Golden State’s most skilled player, and the Warriors evened the series with a 107-97 win.
“We don’t do this s*** on purpose,” Tatum said, per ESPN. “I promise you we don’t. We’re trying as hard as we can. There’s certain things we got to clean up. Obviously, turnovers, movement on the offensive end. Would we have liked to have won today and be up 3-1? That would have been best-case scenario.
“But it’s the Finals. The art of competition, they came here feeling like they had to win. It wasn’t easy. I think that’s kind of the beauty of it, that it’s not going to be easy. It shouldn’t be. We know we both want it, and we got to go take it.”
Tatum needs to be Boston’s take-charge guy. He’s been more miss than hit in the postseason. He’s had two 10-point outings in the playoffs. In Boston’s Game 1 win over the Warriors, he went 3-for-17 and finished with 12 points. He needs to be better. He’s mentioned that numerous times, including right after Friday’s Game 4 loss.
“I think that’s just as simple as it is,” he said. “I just got to be better, and I know I can be better, so it’s not like I, myself or my team is asking me to do something I’m not capable of. They know the level and I know the level that I can play at.”
Darius Slay summed up the difference between Tatum and Brown perfectly with one short tweet
Tatum and Brown got the Celtics over the hump this season. Prior to this year, Brown had been to the Eastern Conference Finals three times, and Tatum went twice. They stalled there each time.
This year, the two overcame a rough start loaded with adversity to get the Celtics into the NBA Finals. Through 50 games, the Celtics went 25-25 before putting together one of the greatest turnarounds in recent memory. Under first-year coach Ime Udoka, Boston closed the regular season with a 26-6 mark.
The Celtics secured the No. 2 seed and faced the most difficult postseason run this year, beating the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Heat.
Now, it’s up to Tatum and Brown to find a way to close the deal. Tatum is Boston’s most talented player but needs a little Brown in him.
Slay summed that up perfectly on Twitter during Game 4.
“Tatum got the talent but Brown got that Dawg in him!!” he wrote.
“Big-Play Slay” is absolutely right. Tatum needs that fire that Brown has. He needs to attack the basket and stop complaining to the referees when no call is made. He needs to be the spark that ignites the Celtics. Tatum’s got all the talent in the world but needs the drive.
Slay hit it on the head. With all the money TV analysts are making these days, Slay might want to take some of his basketball analysis and slide into the broadcasting booth and become “Big-Pay Slay.”
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