PHILADELPHIA — While Jaylen Brown made all the declarations and served as the modern day Don King in hyping up this 76ers-Celtics matchup, the first since his controversial trade in July, the Celtics quietly stood on business and turned Tuesday into a celebration at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Hopefully, a chapter of this saga is over. Brown blew off Tatum as he tried dapping him before opening tip, and the two had a couple of one-on-one matchups (and no postgame interaction) after the Celtics, led by the brilliant Paul George, bombarded Philadelphia with 3-pointers and ran away with a satisfying 123-101 win.
After the game, while Brown greeted some of his former teammates, including Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, Tatum stood near the Celtics bench because he had postgame interview obligations with NBC. The winner gets the spoils.
As for the defeated, Brown accepted his fate. On one of the biggest nights of his career — at least personally — he faltered, scoring just 13 points with five rebounds, four turnovers, and a minus-27 in his 26 minutes. He wanted so badly to show his former team they made a mistake, that his game is fitted for any system and he is a franchise cornerstone.
Tuesday, he looked overwhelmed by the moment, trying too hard to make plays but also swallowed up by a Celtics defense that knew his every move — doubling him when he attacked the rim, forcing him into a jump shooter. Nearly half of his field goal attempts were 3-pointers.
Brown didn’t want to discuss any interaction or non-interaction with Tatum. He had the face of a man who had been humbled, at least for a night. He never wanted to leave Boston, and now he’s watching the Celtics dominate with his replacement scoring 36 points as the perfect complement to Tatum, a role Brown had trouble accepting in recent years.
“I’m just focused on doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said of Tatum’s attempt to greet him prior to tip. “Everything else was just . . . to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics. They executed. They shot the hell out of the ball. And they were the better team.
“I’m a bit disappointed. I wanted to perform better for my team. It’s unfortunate. I didn’t have any [extra] emotion. I was locked in. I was focused, ready to go. I was looking forward to playing well.”
The Celtics won this matchup because they were better prepared and quietly wanted to win this game more. While Tatum said few words about this clash, even calling it another game, his on-court emotion said different, such as when he screamed and pumped his fist on a Neemias Queta layup that he watched from 35 feet away.
Mazzulla was hardly surprised with how coolly Tatum handled this situation. His emotion was on the floor, cheering on good basketball plays or motioning to NBC analyst Reggie Miller after 3-pointers. Afterward, he returned to Clark Kent; the only thing missing was the black horn-rimmed glasses.
“They’re just words. They’re not like his life [was] threatened,” Mazzulla said of the Tatum-Brown situation. “There’s no weapons. There’s no one throwing anything at him. No one’s attacking him. So like it’s not really that big of a deal. He’s probably been dealing with the spotlight since he was like 12 years old. You know, so outside of physical altercations, I think he’ll be fine, but to me, he doesn’t get enough credit for his emotional stability, his emotional intelligence, and his maturity.
“He just has an innate ability to stay focused on the things that he can control and the things that matter most.”
It’s sad that a nine-year relationship, one that produced a championship, has been reduced to disregard and ignorance because of the breakup. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown accomplished great things together, and maybe one day their triumphs can be celebrated with respect, admiration, and laughter, but that day won’t be soon. Tatum has to accept that, and continue to be the leader and captain of a team that has growing championship aspirations.
There was a level of excitement and contentment in Tatum. He won’t admit it, but he wanted this one. The stage was gigantic for a regular-season game.
“I mean, from the aspect of Philly is a really good team, number one team in the East, so yes,” he said when asked about his increased emotions. “From that standpoint, it wasn’t about an individual matchup or anything of that sort. When you play against a really good team and you want to see how you match up against the best, or one of the best teams in the league.”
How Tatum has handled this situation has been admirable. No back-and-forth with Brown, only discussing the positives. Staying focused on the current task and embracing his current situation, which is more fruitful by the game.
Tatum walked away the victor but then again, it was just another night. Perhaps for Brown it was the Super Bowl, but for Tatum, it was one further step toward galvanizing a team that can be special.
“I know I say it a lot jokingly, but I do remember when Brad Stevens said that a couple years ago that they all count as one, and when he said it, just it really it hit me like, oh [expletive], tomorrow’s game counts the same as today’s game,” Tatum said. “I know all y’all [media] probably won’t be there tomorrow, but you know it still counts the same.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.