It's easy to laugh and joke when you're winning, so it makes sense that the Boston Celtics are having plenty of fun as of late. During an absolute 125-98 rout of the Phoenix Suns, Celtics star Jayson Tatum mocked forward Grant Williams for stealing his “kiss of death” celebration.
Usually reserved for clutch three-pointers, Tatum's calling card was in full effect Wednesday night against the Suns. So when Williams hit a few triples of his own, he began to use the patented celebration as well.
Although Tatum and Williams both have the shooting ability to pull off the move, Tatum claimed that only he can make it look cool:
Tatum on Grant taking his kiss of death celebration:
"He was too excited, too hyped. He was jumping. I was like, ‘Grant, it’s still the 2nd qtr.’ So I pulled him aside & said, ‘You can do it, but I’m cool when I do it. I look cool. You didn’t look cool. You looked like a kid.'"
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) December 8, 2022
The exchange between the two teammates was even caught on camera, as Tatum tried to show Williams how it's done:
Here’s Tatum and Grant talking about this during a timeout lol https://t.co/FtY1Amo1Iz pic.twitter.com/7BOQRpAd4N
— Tanner (@TannerT27) December 8, 2022
While discussing celebration methods isn't something teams normally do when playing a top opponent, the game against Phoenix was an exception. The Celtics won by 27 and once led by a whopping 45 points. With that in mind, it's easy to see why the Cs were having so much fun.
Unfortunately for Williams, a lot of that fun came at his expense. In the third quarter, Jaylen Brown even gave Williams a firm love tap to the back of his head.
Grant Williams might need concussion protocols after Jaylen smacked him lol pic.twitter.com/isOtLTYTXB
— Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) December 8, 2022
Then, after the blowout win, Brown recounted the Green Team's Tuesday golf trip, emphasizing how badly Williams performed on the links.
"I'm looking for a golfing coach to help me out. Sam and Grant said they'd help me out but Grant is terrible" 😂
Nothing but good vibes with @FCHWPO talking with @tvabby about the Celtics' golf trip after another big win! pic.twitter.com/YulVR3ep0Y
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 8, 2022
Despite all the jokes thrown Williams' way, the former first-round pick played perfectly in Phoenix. He scored 14 points in just 22 minutes and had an immaculate 6-for-6 shooting night. Although he didn't secure a new contract this offseason, his impressive performance in 2022-23 will definitely result in a team backing up the Brinks truck for him come summer.
The “Batman” might be funny off the court, but his game is no laughing matter when he's at his best. If he can keep up his hot start along with the rest of the Celtics, there will be a lot of fun to be had this season in Beantown.
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