What Tatum, Brown told each other during embrace after Game 3 win

What Tatum, Brown told each other during embrace after Game 3 win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Shortly after the final buzzer sounded in the Boston Celtics‘ thrilling Game 3 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared a long embrace at halfcourt.

The star duo led the way in a 106-99 road victory that put the C’s one win away from an NBA championship. They took a moment to celebrate the hard-fought triumph, but even with a 3-0 series lead, they know better than to get complacent.

Tatum revealed what he and Brown discussed, and it’s clear they have the same mentality heading into Friday’s Game 4.

“Just showing the emotions of the game. Two guys that was excited, tired after the game,” Tatum said of his interaction with Brown. “We’re not necessarily saying ‘one more’ or anything like that, we’re just saying ‘however long it takes.’ Nobody’s relaxed, nobody’s satisfied.

“But, you know, just at that moment, just told him I was proud of him and he said the same thing, and that we’ve got to keep fighting. We can’t relax. That was basically the conversation.”

No NBA team has ever come back down 3-0 in a playoff series. Still, the C’s are smart to adopt the “job’s not finished” mindset with one win separating them from Banner 18.

Brown acknowledged the excitement of being one win away, but he also echoed Tatum’s sentiments.

“It’s awesome. I mean, I don’t really have words. It kind of doesn’t even feel real right now and I’m just trying to stay in the moment,” Brown said. “It feels great to be up 3-0 in the series, but the job’s not done.”

Tatum and Brown combined for 61 of Boston’s 106 points in Game 3. After Tatum took over with 20 first-half points, Brown went off for 15 in the third quarter. They ended up with 31 and 30, respectively.

The biggest play of the night was Brown drawing a blocking foul on Luka Doncic to force the Mavs star out of the game with 4:12 remaining. Doncic fouled out with Dallas down three after erasing Boston’s 21-point lead. With Doncic watching from the bench, the C’s stayed on top the rest of the way.

The Celtics will look to complete the sweep — which would mark just the 10th sweep in Finals history — Friday in Dallas. Tip-off for the matchup is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.