NBA Notebook: Joe Mazzulla says Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum don't have to be best friends to win

Jayson Tatum arrived, as Jaylen Brown promised, at the Slam Dunk Contest last Saturday sporting a large coat and positioning himself with the basketball next to popular streamer Kai Cenat for Brown's most ill-fated attempt of the night. Brown ran straight at Cenat, leaped over him and tried to catch Tatum's alley-oop that soared over his head. They landed the next try, but Tatum's pass flew too high again to allow Brown to clearly show the point of the slam. He mimicked Dee Brown's famous no-look finish at the last second as the LED floor caught everyone's attention, turning into the TD Garden parquet. Brown advanced, losing in the final.

"We didn't practice," Brown told Boston Sports Journal later in Indianapolis. "No practice. Just kind of went in hoping that we would have a better result. Obviously, I think it went better in our heads, in my head for sure than it looked out there, but we still had fun. I put my name in the hat, it was a little bit uncomfortable to participate in the dunk contest, out of my comfort zone, but I wouldn't change anything. I went out there, tried to compete, tried to bring some attention to it. It didn't go the way I expected, but that's part of it sometimes."

The story of a lackluster all-star weekend, including another field of rookies and G-Leaguers surrounding Brown in the dunk contest, faded when NBA games resumed on Thursday. The Celtics arrived in Chicago the day prior, reuniting to pursue the championship. Among all the uncertainty entering the season, from how Kristaps Porziņģis would fit into the largely unproven bench and Jrue Holiday joining the starting lineup dynamic in place of Al Horford, everything sorted itself out and then some. Boston leads the east by a staggering 7.5 games, something the 2008 Celtics never did. 

Rest, experimentation, along with entering the playoffs healthy and in stride will become priorities. One question looms that lingers, if only cosmetically, from all-star weekend. How will Brown and Tatum lead the Celtics together?

"They have to be able to express who they are differently and not constantly be compared to each other," Joe Mazzulla said when asked to assess the growth of Brown and Tatum's relationship since he arrived in 2020. "They're not the same. At the same time, they're two pillars of our team and they're both doing a great job growing how they need each other and how they need the people around them, but also, they gotta be the best players on the court for us and I think they've done a good job of that."

Tatum addressed the topic directly in an interview with ESPN last weekend, how much he and Brown's relationship has grown as recently as last summer when they decided to work out in Los Angeles for the first time together in an offseason. Molding their individual workouts alongside trainer Drew Hanlen, spending more time together and talking about how the new-look Celtics would gel, coexist and complement each other as leaders with multiple rotation players, including long-time leader Marcus Smart, departing over the summer.

After long disputing the notion that they didn't get along or couldn't succeed in Boston, the tumultuous start to the 2021 season became the first signal that they needed to at least address their simultaneous standing atop the team. They admitted calls to break them up that began during the previous season forced them to acknowledge ways they could work on their partnership. They sat down for an interview specifically about that topic before 2021-22 began, and have since worked on playing together more successfully. Tatum compared his, Brown and the entire team's dynamic to a relationship on Thursday. They still only pass to each other roughly 11 times per game, rarely setting each other up with screens in part due to their overlapping positions. Porziņģis helped bridged that gap, along with playmaking guard Derrick White allowing both wings to focus on scoring, spacing, driving and kicking.

Brown and Tatum's tenure together now stands tied with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray's as the longest-running in the league, and while Denver's duo joined LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the only star pairings to win championships in the league among partnerships that are still intact. Brown and Tatum recently moved into third all-time in games where teammates each scored 30 points. The Celtics are 27-2 in those games, and sometime over the next year they'll tie and surpass Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant (33), then Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (34) for most games in that category. A credit to their combined talent, its potential and in the case of the latter duo, the need for a connectivity beyond their shared talent to achieve the ultimate prize. 

O'Neal and Bryant, perhaps the most talented teammates ever, won three titles in spite of their off-court spat and probably left multiple championships on the table because of that. Durant left a similarly loaded young Thunder team with limitless potential more amicably after only one Finals appearance. He admitted, in retrospect, he had the best chemistry with Russell Westbrook over any other point guard he's played with, but he's forming a new one fast due to chemistry.

"We hang out off the floor," Kevin Durant said when asked why he and Devin Booker meshed so quickly in Phoenix. "That's most of the battle when you get to know your teammates that deep. We, almost to this point, know what each other is thinking. I hung out with him a lot since I got to Phoenix and this past summer and worked out. Us hanging out, playing video games, going out, all that stuff helps when you're trying to gain chemistry as a team. It's been great getting to know him."

Brown and Tatum, both on the winning side in the east, fell short of their star teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in combined all-star points as Lillard claimed the MVP award. While their fit hardly proved natural to begin the season, culminating in a coaching change and 3-7 start under Doc Rivers, Lillard acknowledged that all-star weekend forced them to spend more time together, address on-court challenges and bond before the second half. Brown and Tatum don't face nearly as many issues to sort out ahead of the second half, but they noticeably mingled in different circles during their visible time together. Tatum called the three-point contest on TV before helping Brown out with his dunk. Then, he exited the arena before Mac McClung took Brown down in the final round.

Tatum expressed that he prefers to be Brown's teammate in the All-Star Game, joining him for the first time after their notable duel in last year's game in Utah. Both expressed the ability to raise the Celtics' profile with their appearance. They don't exactly gush over each other, Tatum telling ESPN he likes most how Brown goes after what he wants. Adversaries Jokić and Luka Doncic, by contrast, hugged and laughed all weekend, but Brown and Tatum in it together, Tatum said, and support each other privately and publicly more than ever before. That personal relationship matters less to Mazzulla, who sees a positive in their near polar opposite personalities.

"The most important thing is separating the two," Mazzulla said. "They've been lumped together for such a long time and they're different people, they're different types of players, they're different types of leaders and just because they're both young and they both play a relatively similar position, they've always been the two of them. A goal of mine has been to separate them. They're different in how they go about things and they don't have to be similar. They don't have to be best friends. What they have is a mutual respect for each other, the way they go about their professionalism, the way they prepare for games, and their understanding and their growing understanding that they need each other and they need their teammates." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (24-32): Center Onyeka Okongwu (toe) will miss the foreseeable future, according to Quin Snyder, as the Hawks begin the second half in the final postseason position (10th) in the east by 3.0 games over Brooklyn. Clint Capela (adductor) also missed time entering the break, returning on Friday with potential restrictions, leaving Bruno Fernando in line to hold Atlanta down in spot starts and the backup role inside for the Hawks. The former Celtic is averaging 16.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 in his 8.9 minutes across 18 games this year. 

Boston (44-12): Began the second half healthy, seeing Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer get one shot off each in the closing minutes of a runaway win late over the Bulls on Thursday. Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet maintained their bench roles, playing strong fourth-quarter minutes to extend Boston's lead to 21 while Sam Hauser went down in a collision with Kornet, exiting the game but not suffering any significant injury. He is not listed on the injury report on Saturday against the Knicks. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 56 points to help the East win the All-Star Game on Sunday.

Brooklyn (21-34): Fired head coach Jacque Vaughn after parts of three seasons leading the team, starting in the Bubble in 2020 when Brooklyn dismissed Kenny Atkinson and continuing after letting Steve Nash go. Vaughn closed the season 43-32, enough to sneak into the playoffs above the play-in line last year, but the Nets struggled to find an identity after trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. That issue exacerbated through Ben Simmons' injury woes and limited activity by the team from last summer through the deadline to clarify a vision. Former University of Connecticut champion and most recently the head coach of Overtime Elite, Kevin Ollie, will serve as interim head coach. HoopsHype reported Michael Scotto discussed offensive game plan frustrations among players and the possibility that Mike Budenholzer could take over.

“It’s about the level of compete,” GM Sean Marks said. “We’re not going to be the most talented team in the league. I’m not an idiot. I totally understand that. But at the same time, this is a talented group of young men out there. And my expectations, and I think their expectations, should be to hold each other accountable to do the little things. The effort plays, the loose balls, the contested shots and so forth, diving on the floor."

Chicago (26-30): Suffered a pair of blows to their playoff push by losing Patrick Williams (foot) to season-ending surgery and dropping their first game of the second half at home to the Celtics after leading at halftime. Torrey Craig (knee) also remains out and while Coby White has led the offense admirably in Zach LaVine's place, a shooting disadvantage became apparent as Chicago chased twos and played double-big while Boston out-ran them. Joe Mazzulla switched Boston's pick-and-roll coverage after halftime, negating Nikola Vucevic's advantage in the pick-and-roll. They host the Celtics again on Mar. 23. 

Dallas (33-23): Quietly began a seven-game win streak before the break after making changes at the the trade deadline to bring in PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. Gafford averaged 12.3 PPG and 10.3 RPG through his first four appearances inside for the team while Washington started slower, 40.5% from the field and 22.2% from three in those wins. Luka Doncic, ever the dominant stat performer, averaged 31.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 9.4 APG on 51.7% FG (40.6% 3PT). Dallas visits Boston on Friday night for their second meeting this season. Former GM Donnie Nelson will bring his lawsuit vs. Dallas to trial. Jalen Brunson said he would've stayed with the Mavericks for four-years, $55 million.

Denver (38-19): Nikola Jokic became the fourth player in NBA history to record a triple-double against every opponent, posting 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists on 10-for-10 shooting in a win over the Wizards. The Nuggets broke a three-game losing streak and moved into a tie with the Clippers for the third seed in the west, 3.0 games over the Pelicans. 

Detroit (8-47): Phoenix Municipal Court dismissed assault charges against Isaiah Stewart, but the NBA suspended him for three games anyway after he allegedly punched Drew Eubanks before the Pistons' game against the Suns earlier this month. Stewart missed Detroit's last eight games with an ankle sprain. Guard Quentin Grimes will make his debut for the team after arriving from New York in the Bojan Bogdanovic trade. 

Golden State (29-26): Above the Jazz by 4.0 games to begin the second half as the 10 seed in the west, yet between Draymond Green's suspension, Klay Thompson's struggles and continued challenges developing young talent around an aging core, ESPN documented a dynasty at a crossroads. Steve Kerr nonetheless signed a two-year, $35 million extension through the 2025-26 season to remain the coach of Steph Curry and the Warriors. 

"We could have drafted more ready players that maybe had a lower ceiling," owner Joe Lacob said. "We thought we had more time with our Big Three. How much more? We didn't know. And at what level? We weren't quite sure. Now, melding them in with the Big Three, that's where I think it got complicated."

Indiana (32-25): Tyrese Haliburton returned scoring 25 points with 13 assists in a win over the Pistons after effectively becoming the host of all-star weekend and narrowly losing MVP honors in the game to Damian Lillard. He hit four threes in a row to open the game, the last from half court, while his playmaking showed about as well as anyone else's in an individual-oriented, lackluster showcase. The Pacers also honored franchise stars throughout the weekend, including Jermaine O'Neal, Larry Bird, who made multiple public appearances, Dale Davis, Metta World Peace and Reggie Miller. Aaron Nesmith began the second half limited in practice after suffering a leg injury before the break. Rick Carlisle said it wasn't as bad as originally feared.

Clippers (37-18): PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland rejoined the Clippers for the second half after leaving the team before the break due to frustration with their roles. They committed to the stretch run with LA only 2.5 games back of Minnesota for the west's top record. Doc Rivers, in a widely ridiculed comment during all-star weekend, reflected on his tenure with LA when he said he told Kawhi Leonard to reconsider playing alongside Paul George so the team could retain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who eventually went to Oklahoma City in the George trade. George remains without an extension in LA.

Lakers (31-27): LeBron James held a separate press conference before the All Star Game to address his future and more, saying among other things that he's torn 50-50 on whether he'll have a farewell tour season before he retires or exit quietly like Tim Duncan did. James also showed love to USA Today reporter Jeff Zillgitt, who recently underwent cancer treatment, when he asked a question at the end of the presser, while noting that he'd like to remain a Laker for the rest of his career without providing any assurances that he will. LA split its first games after the break with James sitting out the first.

Memphis (20-37): Marcus Smart (finger) will miss at least three more weeks despite a positive evaluation on the injury while Desmond Bane (ankle) also made improvements from his severe sprain, but will sit out another 3-5 weeks before returning to the floor. It only makes sense with Memphis' season already finished to fully recover from a pair of painful ailments. 

Miami (31-25): A nasty brawl between the Heat and Pelicans in Miami's eventual victory led to Jimmy Butler's ejection on Friday. Butler later said Zion Williamson flopped on the foul by Kevin Love that set off tensions between the teams, specifically Butler and Pelicans forward Naji Marshall. Officials also ejected Marshall, Jose Alvarado and Thomas Bryant from the game after a separate altercation broke out between the latter two nearby. 

“I wasn’t tripping about K-Love because he actually protected me on my fall,” Williamson said. “All of a sudden I see Butler kind of lunging toward Naji, so I‘m trying to get there like, ’Yo, relax, like what’s going on?'”

Milwaukee (36-21): Damian Lillard said all-star weekend gave he and Giannis Antetokounmpo time to convene and look inward on the Bucks' struggles leading up to the break after Doc Rivers took over for fired head coach Adrian Griffin. The trio spent the weekend in Indianapolis together and it showed in the team's hot start against the Timberwolves, scoring an impressive win due in large part to Antetokounmpo's aggressiveness and Lillard's shot-making, but Malik Beasley also drilled back-to-back shots on the run from deep during the decisive 20-2 Milwaukee run. 

Minnesota (39-17): Extended Mike Conley for two years, $21 million in a deal similar to the one that kept fellow 2007 draftee Al Horford in Boston through next season. Conley, Horford, Jeff Green and Kevin Durant remain the only players left in the NBA from that class, with all maintaining a high level of play in recent seasons relative to their ages. Conley arrived to Minnesota last February in the D'Angelo Russell trade with Utah and the Lakers. He's averaging 10.6 PPG and 6.4 APG while hitting 44% of his threes. The Wolves also added former Celtic Justin Jackson from G-League Texas. 

New York (34-22): Julius Randle worked out at the Knicks' facility this week and remains hopeful he'll return this season after suffering an injury to his right rotator cuff earlier this month that'll force him to miss Saturday's crucial game against the Celtics. Randle didn't rule out surgery when speaking on Wednesday after the break. He's heard multiple opinions on what treatment he needs, Randle said, while the Knicks hope he can avoid an operation. OG Anunoby is out on Saturday two after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his elbow. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, who returned from Achilles pain, is on a minutes restriction. 

Oklahoma City (39-17): Waived center Aleksej Pokusevski, the No. 17 pick in the 2020 draft, after he fell out of the rotation this season in the final year of his rookie contract. Three separate injuries also derailed his development across the latter end of his four seasons, but at 22 with the ability to shoot and block shots at 7-0, someone will inevitably carry his development forward. John Hollinger thinks the Wizards could be a fit, given that former Thunder executive Will Dawkins now works there. Pokusevski remains two-way contract eligible in his fourth year in the NBA. Gordon Hayward scored eight points in 15 minutes in his Thunder debut, a 147-106 win over Washington. They've now won four straight games and are tied for the west's top seed.

Philadelphia (33-23): Kyle Lowry made his 76ers debut as the Sixers fell in the first of two games against the Knicks, posting 11 points, four rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes in his native Philadelphia. He didn't play the following night as Tyrese Maxey's 24 points and a late Buddy Hield three carried the 76ers past the Cavs to break their four-game losing streak. Philadelphia remains 2.0 games above the play-in line. Elsewhere, the debate continued over the merits of moving the team to a new downtown arena later this decade. The Sixers visit the Celtics for their final meeting on Tuesday.

Portland (15-40): Lost their seventh straight game but continued to see solid returns from Dalano Banton after the Celtics traded him to the Blazers shortly before the deadline. He's averaging 11.5 PPG on 42.9% shooting with his new team, posting 14 on 5-of-9 with three assists against the Nuggets. Portland continued its own stadium negotiations, and will consider a five-year extension on its lease at the Moda Center. 

Sacramento (32-23): Former Kings star Demarcus Cousins seemed to close the door on an NBA return in a HoopsHype interview, saying he knows he's had his time there and is moving on to what's beyond basketball for his career. An Achilles tear abruptly derailed the star center's career after he and Anthony Davis teamed up on the Pelicans, beating Portland in the first round before losing to the 2018 Warriors in five games. Davis recently said he believed they could've won a championship in New Orleans. Cousins averaged 21.5 PPG and 11.0 RPG through his first eight seasons prior to injury. Sacramento traded him for a package that included Buddy Hield, whom the Kings eventually traded alongside Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis. Cousins now plays for the Taiwan Beer Leopards. 

San Antonio (11-46): Arguably Victor Wembanyama's most impressive effort yet happened on Friday when he exploded for 13 of San Antonio's first 15 points in seven minutes against the Lakers, stole four passes by halftime and finished with five alongside five blocks to become the youngest player in NBA history to record five in all five stat categories. He scored 27 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists in what became another Spurs loss. Only Michael Jordan has done it in consecutive games. 

"I wonder if he did it in wins," Wembanyama asked after, shrugging off the achievement because San Antonio lost. 

Washington (9-47): Benched Jordan Poole as they reached 10 straight losses, a scary sign for the once-promising guard's career with his efficiency dipping while his confidence remains high enough to take extremely difficult shots. He's not in an ideal environment, but his struggles reflect the ones that challenged his ability to stay in Golden State, that while acknowledging Draymond Green's role in his downfall.