Typically, a team's best players hitting each other in the middle of a game is a bad sign, but that wasn't the case for the Boston Celtics on Monday night. During Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Jayson Tatum gave Jaylen Brown a firm slap just a minute before the C's wrapped up their 109-102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, Tatum drove to the basket, drew a defender, and dished it out to his All-Star teammate on the perimeter. Brown cashed the 3-pointer and put Boston up 105-97 with 1:07 to go, essentially clinching the narrow victory.

What happened between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown during this play?

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) celebrate after a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Although Brown looked angered by Tatum's unexpected love tap, that wasn't what he had a problem with on that play.

Rather, the three-time All-Star was annoyed that referee Tyler Ford nearly prevented the basket from happening. Ford got in Brown's way right before the pivotal triple.

“I don't think he was paying attention, but he was like in the play,” Brown described via NBC Sports Boston. “So, as I'm lifting up, I got bumped into him first. I had to push him out the way, then catch the ball and then able to knock the shot. But he was like an extra defender right there because he was in the way. So that's what I was telling him, that I need to get his ass out of the way.”

The Georgia native clearly had a problem with the encounter after the game too, as he posted a screenshot of Ford blocking him on his Instagram story.

As for Tatum's hit, he laughed about it during his Celtics postgame presser:

“I'm gonna get Jayson back for that,” he said with a grin. “I wasn't paying no attention, and he just comes out of nowhere with a left hook straight to the chest, I'm gonna get him back for that.”

Related Boston Celtics NewsArticle continues below
Celtics' Jaylen Brown smiling, with Rockets, Pistons, Lakers, Clippers, Mavs, Magic, 76ers, logos around him
Ranking 3 best Jaylen Brown trade destinations if Celtics blow it up
How Celtics' Jayson Tatum is chasing Larry Bird, Bill Russell with All-NBA nod
How Celtics’ Jayson Tatum is chasing Larry Bird, Bill Russell with All-NBA nod

On the night, Brown finished with 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. Through Boston's nine playoff games, he's been the leading scorer for the Green Team with 24.4 points per outing.

His fellow 2024 All-Star was just as good in Game 4. Tatum notched 33 points for the second game in a row and contributed 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Like Brown, he also had a funny take on his late-game hit, via CelticsBlog reporter Noa Dalzell:

“I didn’t realize how hard I hit him. I’ve been lifting a lot lately,” he joked. “High-intensity game, I drove, they helped, he hit the big shot. I was hype.”

A big reason why the Celtics are in such a cheery mood is because they escaped Cleveland with two wins. Despite struggling at home in TD Garden, the C's are 4-0 on the road this postseason and are now up 3-1 against the Cavs in their second-round series.

Ideally, they'll be looking for a repeat of the first round versus the Miami Heat. The undermanned Miami squad took Game 2 but then fell at home twice before ultimately losing the series in Game 5 in Beantown. Cleveland also won Game 2 and dropped two home games in a row, giving the Celtics an opportunity to advance with a win on Wednesday night.

Health could play a major role in how this series (and the rest of the Eastern Conference series) concludes. Cavs star Donovan Mitchell missed Game 4 with a calf strain and Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been dealing with calf issues of his own since Game 4 of the first round. The Latvian big man hasn't played a single minute in the Eastern Conference Semifinals thus far.

Cleveland has also been lacking a big man lately. Center Jarrett Allen hasn't seen the court versus the Celtics because of a rib injury he suffered in the first round. Perhaps the Cavs will try and rush Mitchell and Allen back while they're on the brink of elimination.

Regardless of who plays and who doesn't, the Celtics need to approach Wednesday's Game 5 with the same killer instinct they had in Game 5 of the first round.

“Now it’s time to go back and play well in front of our fans, give them something to cheer for,” Tatum stated during his postgame availability. “Hopefully, try to get a win.”