Austin Rivers and his pal Pausha Haghighi attacked the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for receiving negative commentary from commentators prior to Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Kendrick Perkins, on the other hand, disagreed and said the former Clipper was attempting to create controversy in order to garner attention. In the first round of the verbal sparring, Haghighi said that Brown and Tatum had achieved the highest level of accomplishment possible without taking home the title in a clip from the Off Guard Podcast.
Considering that throughout their seven seasons together, they have advanced to the NBA Finals twice and the Eastern Conference Finals five times, he is right on.
Rivers supported his co-host and said he was perplexed by the criticism from experts despite the fact that the two averaged 76 points apiece and were a regular fixture in the Conference Finals.
He went on to say that supporters who are calling for Brown to be traded for a better player don’t realize how crucial he is to the success and harmony of his club. Although the Boston stars have been more consistent than the Celtics combo, according to Rivers, who also likened them to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, there have been no cries to swap the guard for a more talented player.
Kendrick Perkins reaction to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown bashing
Perkins responded to the podcast clip on Instagram, expressing how strongly he disagreed with Rivers and Haghighi’s tirade.
“Nobody kills them. Stop with bulls**t! They’re getting the same energy [Le]Bron [James], Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and All the greats got before they won their first Championship. I see what you’re trying to do here tho. I guess that’s a Duke thang!”
Kendrick Perkins disagrees with Austin Rivers on his Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown take pic.twitter.com/TI6hDy41Qe
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) June 6, 2024
Perkins is right when she notes that celebrities have frequently drawn criticism for not winning an NBA championship. Despite winning numerous MVP awards, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic also faced criticism for not winning the championship. It took their first championship victory to quiet the naysayers.
Until they help the Celtics win a championship, Brown and Tatum will continue to be criticized and treated like superstars. Every great NBA player must experience this rite of passage. Although the shouts are strong, they will be almost unbearable if the pair doesn’t win the crown this season.
