Pitting people against one another seems to be a national pastime in America, and it's no different in sports. Take Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who've been teammates for seven years but are constantly accused of disliking one another.

After Brown hoisted the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy last Monday, talking heads weren't just discussing his awesome play. They implied that Tatum was jealous that he didn't win the award, hinting at a larger rift between the two stars.

“I think Jayson was just shocked,” former Miami Heat lifer Udonis Haslem said on ESPN. “I think he played well down the stretch, led them in rebounding … I think Jayson Tatum was shocked.”

ESPN even zoomed in on Tatum's face during the celebration, as if that would prove his hidden disappointment.

When Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about Tatum and Brown's relationship and the discourse around it, he didn't hold back during a Friday afternoon press conference, via Celtics in-house writer Taylor Snow:

“The whole thing is unfair. They’re great teammates, they love each other … So it’s bulls**t,” Mazzulla said. “I love both of them and they both deserve better.”

This isn't the first time a narrative like this has popped up. Unfortunately, it probably won't be the last, via Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog.

“I think it’s stupid that people have to use those guys' names and use things they don’t know to create clickbait so that they can stay relevant,” Mazzulla said.

In January of 2022, former Celtic Kendrick Perkins took to X to praise Brown and criticize Tatum after Boston beat the New York Knicks, 99-75.

“Jaylen Brown completely took over this game with his first triple-double of his career! Played a perfect game while Jayson Tatum went 6/14 from the field,” he wrote. “They got the win tho!”

Tatum, in a rare post, responded the same day.

“Normalizing uplifting one man without bringing another one down,” he posted. “JB played great it’s alright to leave it at that.”

Comparisons and dubious assumptions aside, Tatum and Brown have led the C's back to their second NBA Finals appearance in the last three seasons. There they'll face the red-hot Dallas Mavericks.

Importance of Celtics' star duo

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Boston and Dallas are relatively different teams, yet they have one thing in common at least: star duos.

The Celtics boast Tatum and Brown while the Mavs employ ex-Celtic Kyrie Irving and 2024 Western Conference Finals MVP Luka Doncic.

On Thursday night, Irving and Doncic combined for a whopping 72 points en route to a 124-103 closeout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Doncic has never been to the Finals until this season, however, Irving has had multiple Finals trips and won it all in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The battle between these four stars will likely be a major key to this championship series. Tatum has led the Celtics in rebounding, points, and assists thus far in the playoffs, and Boston will need him to continue to find a balance between being a playmaker and a scorer.

Brown has primarily been an attacker, yet that shouldn't overshadow his efforts on the defensive end. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he forced a huge turnover that allowed him to send the game into overtime just seconds after:

In Game 4, he got a beautiful block on Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard in the final seconds of the semifinal series. His defensive intensity down the stretch has made a difference for the Celtics when it matters most.

That kind of two-way play will again be required from Tatum and Brown. Irving and Doncic are elite passers and shooters, so the C's will have to try and slow them down any way they can. Although 2024 All-Defensive Team guards Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are some of the Celtics' best defenders, Tatum and Brown will probably be assigned to them during certain stints.

Regardless of the matchups, Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off in Boston on Thursday, June 6th at 8:30 p.m. ET.