Tatum and Brown set a fitting record for the Celtics in Game 3 victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Even after Boston acquired Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last offseason, the prevailing narrative entering the 2023-24 season remained the same: The Celtics would go as far as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown took them.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, when the All-Star duo delivered their team to the gates of Banner 18.
Tatum (31 points) and Brown (30 points) combined for 61 of Boston’s 106 points in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals, making several key plays down the stretch to help the Celtics survive a late surge from the Dallas Mavericks and secure a 106-99 victory that gave them a 3-0 series lead.
Tatum and Brown have now scored at least 25 points each in the same playoff game 18 times, surpassing Larry Bird and Kevin McHale for the most such games in Celtics franchise history, according to Justin Kubatko of Statitudes.com.
The Blue Jays didn’t just get baskets, either: Tatum added five assists and six rebounds, while Brown had eight rebounds and eight assists, making them the first duo in Celtics history record at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in the same Finals game.
It’s quite notable that Tatum and Brown have already surpassed a pair of basketball Hall of Famers, Bird and McHale, who won three championships together in 1981, 1984 and 1986. But the pair of No. 3 overall draft picks have reached the postseason every year. since they became teammates in 2017-18 and rank first and second among all active players in total playoff games since 2018 (111 for Tatum and 105 for Brown).
So while Brown is only 27 years old and Tatum is 26, they’ve been here before and are capable of repeatedly delivering on the big stage.
“We were able to make plays and find a way to win,” Brown said after Wednesday’s win. “We’ve been in those positions and we’ve lost. It was great to overcome that with my brother Jayson and our team. That was special.”
Tatum and Brown embraced at center court in Dallas after achieving victory in Game 3, with Tatum telling Brown how proud he was of his All-Star teammate. It was a fitting way to conclude a historic night for Boston’s two best players, who have been the foundation of the Celtics’ historic success this season and are one win away from winning their first championship together.
