Celtics’ Brad Stevens Rips Into Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Critics

The Celtics are going to spend the next few months celebrating.

Boston is finally going to raise Banner 18, as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led their team to a gentlemen’s sweep of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals on Monday. The C’s are also going to celebrate what their title means, which is proof that staying the course with Tatum and Brown was the right move.

Brad Stevens, for one, didn’t wait very long to start ripping into the “stupid” criticism his young stars have faced.

“I think the criticism is stupid, so I don’t care,” Stevens told Rachel Nichols of “Open Run” in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “I’m with Jaylen on that, because those two had achieved more than most 25- and 26-year-olds ever had, and the only reason they received scrutiny was because they were playing in late May and June. I’d rather be in the mix and have my guts ripped out than suck, and those two have been really good for a long time.”

Tatum and Brown didn’t just win a title, though. Monday represented their arrival as a duo, as they supported one another before, during and after the biggest night of their careers.

Brown was named NBA Finals MVP and took zero time to shout out his “partner in crime” while accepting the trophy. Tatum soaked his long-time teammate in champagne and asked, “What they gon say now?”

Stevens watched their maturation the entire way. He was there as a coach, helping them develop into a star duo. He was there as an executive, building the perfect team around them for both short-term and long-term success. He knows who Tatum and Brown are as players and people, so there are few better people to listen to when it comes to dunking on the criticism.