Jrue Holiday responds to Jason Kidd’s Jaylen Brown comments, via NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — Jrue Holiday released a statement before answering questions from the media following the Boston Celtics’ Game 2 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
The veteran guard wanted to clarify his comments after Mavs coach Jason Kidd called Jaylen Brown, not Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ “best player.” Asked about Kidd’s bold claim, Holiday said, “I don’t think he’s lying.” The video circulated on social media as if to suggest Holiday agreed with Kidd’s assessment.
At the podium, an impassioned Holliday set the record straight.
“Just to let you know before we get into it, I want to address a comment I made yesterday,” he said. “I feel like people took it out of context. I’ve heard that I like JB more than JT, but that’s not true. I like to compliment my teammates. I like to compliment them when they’re playing well, and I think I did my best to do that.”
“JT was the first one to text me when I got here, and they both know how I feel about them as players, but I would never compare them because not only are they on the same team, they’re completely different players and with everything they’ve accomplished in this organization and what they’ve accomplished against me as an opponent, I feel like the way they play together and work together is sacred and will never be broken.”
“Regarding the comments made yesterday, I don’t favour one over the other. I like them both. They’re both superstars and they’re both being showcased on the biggest stage in the world.”
The Celtics won Sunday’s contest, 105-98, despite another lackluster shooting performance from Tatum, who finished with 18 points on just 6-of-22 shooting. But the five-time All-Star still had a game-high 12 assists, including eight in the first half, tying his playoff career high and tying the Mavs’ team total through the first two frames. He fell one rebound shy of a triple-double.
Holiday was one of the Celtics’ biggest beneficiaries of Tatum’s timely playmaking. The 33-year-old finished with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, with most of Holiday’s offense coming in the paint and with Tatum providing the assists.
In an on-court interview with ESPN after the game, Holiday credited Tatum for his outstanding offensive night.
“I just thought the opportunities came up,” Holiday said. “I think it was all a credit to JT. JT was going to the basket and they were double-teaming him and he made the right play. … The way he played tonight, making plays to lead the team, getting in the paint and making plays and finding me free, it was all a credit to him.”
It was another incredible two-way performance from the perennial All-Defensive selection. Along with Derrick White, another member of “The Stock Exchange,” Holiday held Mavericks co-star Kyrie Irving to 7-of-18 shooting, holding the former Celtics player to a horrific 10-of-39 from the field in the first two games of the series.
If Kidd’s comments were an attempt to disrupt Boston’s teamwork, it didn’t work.
“Jrue is the best teammate. You can’t beat that,” Brown said after the win. “He brings a championship track record to the team, so I don’t doubt anything Jrue says. Jrue just comes on the team and is just who he is. He’s got that attitude, that killer mentality, and we respect that. You know? He’s the best teammate and it’s an honor to play next to him.”
Holiday’s performance gave the Celtics a commanding 2-0 series lead, and the Finals will now move to Dallas for Games 3 and 4, with Game 3 scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Watch Holiday’s full post-game press conference below or on YouTube.
